A Casualty of War
by Icelightning
Summary: The child wakes up again... And meets Nosedive for the first time. To the horror of the Mighty Ducks, they realize what chaos Phil could wreck on the boy! Can they prevent Phil from permanently scarring the child's mind?
1. Shattered

A Casualty of War 

By Icelightning 

Chapter 1: Shattered   
  


Author's Note: This is an alternate universe fanfic from my other fanfics, Changing of the Guard and its sequel(s). So, the mysterious characters in "The Aftermath" won't be seen in "A Casualty of War". Why did I write this story? Well, it's quite simple. I've had a made-up character for a while that I've only used in role-plays and RPGs, and I enjoy the character greatly, so I decided to write a fanfic with them in it. Not to mention that all the people I've proposed this fanfic idea to wanted me to do to it, so... I'm going to try and make them happy. Oh boy, maybe I should've finished "The Aftermath" first, but I think I hit a small writer's block. And I need to write a different type of fanfic for a change. So bear with me.. At any rate, I hope you enjoy this fanfic as much as you've enjoyed my other ones! 

Author's second note: This is more graphical in nature than my other universe of fanfics.. So uhm.. If you're seriously depressed, don't read this, okay? ^^;; I don't need anyone killing themselves over it.. But it will get better, I'll promise you that.   


All he knew was pain. He had forgotten love, forgotten warmth, forgotten happiness, and forgotten what it was like to not be hungry. All he remembered now was hatred, cruelty, terror, and pain. Family was a thing of the past, love was a thing of the past, hope was a thing of the past. There was no reason for him to continue to live, but he kept living. Living almost without a soul.   
The only things that escaped his throat anymore were screams and cries of terror and pain. How one so young could hold so many tears that flowed down his cheeks, was beyond explaination. It was the only thing about his life he had control of anymore. He could cry. They couldn't take that away from him. They had already taken everything else. At least he had his tears.   
He had forgotten what it felt like to have ice under one's blades, or what it was like to laugh. He could barely remember the faces of his family, and his memories of them became more and more dim with each passing day. Soon, he would lose them completely. He would forget that they even existed. After all, they were already dead, and he had nothing of theirs in his possession. What would remind the child of them?   
Each day was the same as the last, full of pain and anguish. Never did a day stray from what it had in common with the day before. All that changed was that the days got increasingly worse. He gave up begging after the first few months, as it yielded only harsher torture. The boy stopped fighting against their will and started doing as he was told, trying to keep them pleased. But it was never enough. They wanted more. And they took more away from him.   
He stopped caring about himself with time, as well. The pain became less and less agonizing, as he grew used to it. A child grew use to pain. His main concern before the invasion was learning how to read and write better, and learning math. But those were things of the past, as well.   
The boy was a child without a future. As of now, it seemed he would only have another few years before his life-candle was snuffed out forever. A child with so much promise now without a chance to become what he could have been. He would become yet another casualty of war.   
Nameless children aren't remembered, unlike the countless heroes of wars. He would die, and be forever forgotten. His story would die with him. The whole of Puckworld would fail to acknowledge that he had even existed. For him, there would be no memorial. There would be no plaque. He would not even have a grave.   
Even as he thought he had no hope left, he retained a small light in his heart. Dragaunus was gone from Puckworld, although the Mask and the heroes that defeated him had died with him. The Resistance was starting to gain the upper hand. Soon, the couple that held him captive would be forced to flee their base.   
But he did not hope that the Resistance would free him from his slavery. No, that was too much to hope for. He didn't even begin to hope for something so beautiful and elusive as freedom. He hoped for an end to it all, the stopping of his painful existence. He hoped for death. A child, not even of six human years, hoped for death.   
Another casualty of war. An innocent life, barely started, already hoping for an end to his existence. A child that would be forgotten and thrown aside to rot after his death. They would never be able to save him. He would die in great pain, and they could do nothing. They would not even know he existed.   
With his death, he would once again know happiness, according to what his parents had told him about the next world beyond theirs. He'd see their faces once more and be washed clean of his sufferings. If only he could still believe their words. But it was the only hope he had left, now. It had to be true, it just had to be!   
Children were not meant to be in such pain and agony. They were meant to be healthy and loved. But through the workings of the universe, through horrible fates and horrible people, children weren't always healthy and loved. He, before the invasion, was one of the lucky. Now, he was one of the damned. Another casualty of war.   
He wished he could die and never have to suffer anymore. Maybe fade from existence entirely. It would be easier than living. Hadn't he been through enough suffering? Why couldn't it just end? Why did it never stop? His was only a child!   
But he could not kill himself whenever presented with an opportunity. He was too afraid, too scared that they might stop him and punish him all the more. There would never be a chance of death presented to him again. They would keep him forever, on the verge of collapse, so they could amuse themselves with his misery.   
He never thought he would live to see the light again. He never thought he would learn how to smile or laugh once more. He never thought he would be free from their evil. He never hoped that he'd be that lucky.   
He believed wrong.   
He was another casualty of war. But he would be a survivor. That is, if the Mighty Ducks had anything to say about it.   
  


Another fitful sleep of nightmares came to an end as he awoke with a shout, pushing his chest halfway off of the hard floor even though his body screamed at the movement. Pain shot throughout his body, but he ignored it, freezing in place on his stomach as he listened intently. He thought he had heard footsteps . . . .   
He looked around the room he was lying in and sighed softly. This wasn't his usual cell, which meant he must have passed out last night while they . . . He shivered and blanked out at the thought.   
His mind was returned to the present as he heard another footfall from outside the room, followed by another and then another. Coming towards him. They were going to hurt him again!   
The child knew it was a bad idea to make trouble, but something inside of him brought forth the instinct to hide within him and he scrambled up as he body continued to cry out in pain at him. He peeped in distress and looked around quickly, before deciding to hide under a nearby bench. Shivers ran through his body as the footsteps drew nearer.   
He was a defenseless young duckling against two full-grown Saurians. And it was only a matter of time before they found him. They would punish him harder, he knew, but the time it took them to find him was worth it. If only they could never find him, he could die of starvation and escape this wretched life . . . .   
A bellow of rage assaulted his ears when his male captor came into the room and noticed that he was not where he had been left. "Where are you, you little bastard child?!"   
No answer; the Saurian roared louder. "Get out where I can see you or I'll hurt you worse when I find you!"   
The child peeped again unconsciously and the Saurian's eyes narrowed as he found the source of the noise. Knowing that his farce was up, the boy pressed further into his hiding place, until his back could not go up against the wall any farther. But still he tried to back away, even though he consciously knew that he could not pass through the wall and that it would always be a solid barrier. He started to hiccup and peep alternatively, too scared to scream.   
Throwing the bench out of the way, the Saurian reached down for the boy, growling as smoke vented from his nostrils. The boy would pay for his insolence! He'd make sure of it.   
Letting out a shout, the boy scrambled between the Saurian's legs and dashed for the door, only to skid to a halt as the Saurian's mate entered. He looked around desperately for anything he could use to protect himself as the male turned around and both Saurians began to approach him. The child peeped once more and ran toward one of the shelves, seeing objects he could throw. That is, if he had any strength left in his arms at all.   
The Saurians stopped and smirked at his desperate gamble, knowing that the child could not possilby throw the items on the shelf more than a couple of feet, and none of them were breakable. Anything he tried would be in vain. And when his strength was exhausted, it would be a simple task to catch him and pin him to the ground before they began his punishment.   
But they forgot about one tiny object on the shelf. One tiny little object that would change the boy's future. It was of a pair of identical devices, one made for each Saurian. They were not meant for the child to get his hands on. And only to be used in an emergency where all was hopeless. But his fate was sealed when his hand wrapped around one of the two small objects and he picked up off the shelf, drawing his arm back to throw it at the Saurians in front of him. The Saurians could only stare as he activated the device, accidently pushing down its only button with his thumb.   
And then, his world was turned upside down. The object began to tug at him, trying to pull him somewhere and he let out a cry of shock and terror. He tried to drop it, but his hand was stuck to it, and he couldn't pull it loose. And for a second, he couldn't even move as he feet began to leave the ground. He tried to scream, but the sound was ripped from his throat before he even uttered it, fear clutching his cry within him, although he struggled like never before against the unseen force.   
Something was happening to him . . . What was going on?! He let out a dry sob, before he began to hiccup and peep in fear. Was this how it was like to die? He was going to die, he was sure of it!   
The child had thought he was ready to die, but now that he felt his life was truly threatened, he suddenly repulsed the idea entirely. He wanted to live! Live! This couldn't be happening!   
Suddenly, a miniature wormhole opened up in front of him, swirling with a thousand dazzling colors. A dimensional gateway. He wasn't going to die, he was going to be teleported to another dimension!   
His struggles redoubled against the pull, but he kept on floating closer and closer to it, drawn by it's irresistable force of attraction. He let out a scream, but the wormhole carried it away as he was sucked through, closing behind him.   
The Saurians could do nothing to stop the dimensional gateway, nor could they follow him and get the boy back to punish him. The way it had been designed prevented that. It was one-way only. And as leaders of the last Saurian outpost on Puckworld, neither would not abandon it only to be executed by the last remaining Saurian Overlord as a traitor.   
  


There was barely time to scream as he was catapulted through the other side of the dimensional gateway. He slammed into the pavement a few feet below, lying there in shock. He wasn't dead, he was someplace else! Away from the Saurians... He was free!   
Free!   
He tried to sit up, but couldn't move and he was quickly awashed with fear. He was defenseless, and there were creatures gathering around him that he didn't recognize! And it was too warm! He was on another planet, and they might do anything to him.   
But why couldn't he move?   
A sick wetness began to spread through his hair, and he froze in shock. He recognized the feel of it, the scent of it, the tempature of it. Blood. His own blood. He had hid his head when he fell through the portal.   
Everything began to suddenly grow black around the edge and it creeped further into his vision. He struggled against the darkness, feeling it sap away his thoughts and the feeling of the ground underneath him, even though he knew it was still there. The only thing he could do was quietly peep in distress, an automatic response to fear in ducklings his age, one that he could not control.   
He sensed one of the strange creatures kneel down near him, and screamed as the being touched his back. The hand was withdrawn, although the person began to speak. Despite how hard the boy tried to listen to him, the creature's voice sounded only like a faint buzzing and he was unable to   
understand what it was trying to say.   
Unable to keep conscious for any longer, he let out a shuddering sigh, his eyes closing as he fell into blissful unconsciousness.   
  


The human that had kneeled by him was, by luck or by fate, Captain Klegghorn. Only a few weeks earlier, the Ducks had decided to give him communicators in case of an emergency. And a little Puckworlder bleeding silently on the pavement definitely constituted an emergency. He got it out of a pocket, hitting a button.   
Wildwing's face appeared on screen a second before the mask shifted to show his confusion. "Klegghorn?"   
"I found something that might interest you," the captain of the police force explained, then continued. "I saw a kid of your species just fall from a portal and land on the pavement. He's pretty banged up, so you should get your medic out here."   
"What? A kid?" Wildwing froze in shock, then worry quickly high-lighted his features, even through the mask. "How bad?"   
"Bad enough that I'm gonna need to bandage his head up and I need to do it right now," Klegghorn replied. "Just track my signal. Klegghorn out."   
He shut off the comm before Wildwing could reply and looked to the boy. Regardless of the fact that he didn't know about first aid for Puckworlders, he knew that if he didn't bandage the boy's head, the boy would probably die. Either way, he didn't have much of a choice. Sighing, he shook his head and got to work.   
  


Tanya blinked as Wildwing walked into the main room lab, glancing up from her work on Drake One. She was updating some software for the scanners that kept a tab on various odd occurances outside of the Pond, which meant the software wasn't operational at that moment. Seeing that he was deeply disturbed by something, she gave him a questioning glance as she stood up. What was he so upset about?   
"Klegghorn just called me about another Puckworlder on Earth," Wildwing replied to her glance and confusion spread across her face.   
"Another Puckworlder?" Tanya asked and Wildwing nodded quickly.   
"A child, to be exact. One very hurt child that needs medical attention." Wildwing stated, sighing softly. "We'll take the Migrator . . . It shouldn't take more than the two of us. We don't have time to gather up the others."   
-Is he that hurt?- Tanya thought with concern, nodding quickly in agreement. "If he's extremely injured, then we shouldn't waste any time. The Migrator has any supplies we'll need."   
Wildwing nodded back in thanks and took off at a run towards the Migrator without another word. Tanya watched him for a few seconds, then stood up, dusted herself off, and followed, worry evident on her face. The poor child . . . Coming to Earth all alone and injured, no less.   
As Tanya ran behind Wildwing, she began to wonder more and more about the child, worrying more about him as the seconds went by. If he was hurt badly, then anything could have happened to him on Puckworld. And he could suffer from severe emotional trauma because of it, without the help of his family to assist in his recovery. In the end, it was going to be up to them.   
They had to take in the child; they could not leave him with humans. They would not leave him with humans. After all, he was one of their own. A child that needed love and affection immediately, not fear that comes with the unknown.   
Her thoughts were interrupted as Wildwing started up the Migrator. She sighed, worry shining in her eyes as she looked to Wildwing.   
"We can only hope that the boy will be able to survive going through all this," Tanya whispered quietly. "After all he's probably been through . . . "   
Wildwing nodded, not taking his eyes off the road. "Don't worry, Tanya. We'll take care of him. He won't be alone."   
"I just hope you're right," Tanya replied after a few moments' silence.   
-Me too.- Wildwing replied mentally.   
  


A few minutes later Wildwing and Tanya arrived at the location Klegghorn had indicated, parking the Migrator a few feet away from the crowd of spectators that had gathered. Tanya hurried out and waded through the crowd while Wildwing walked a little ways behind her. Wildwing was unable to see pass the crowd when Tanya suddenly screamed.   
"Tanya, what is it?!" Wildwing shouted, shoving through the rest of the crowd in a hurry. When he saw what had made Tanya scream, he froze in shock, his voice dropping to a whisper. "By the stars . . . "   
In Tanya's arms wack a young Puckworlder with a bandaged head. Klegghorn had been telling the truth about the injured head, but 'pretty banged up' did not even come close to the extent of the boy's other injuries. Every part of child's body that Wildwing could see, his head, legs, arms, and neck, were covered with nasty cuts and bruises, with some of the cuts recently reopened, even infected. The boy's shirt was stuck to his chest with tiny parallel streaks of his own blood.   
And the child was dangerously thin to the point that he looked as if he hadn't had enough food for months on end, which made him seem even tinier in the oversized shirt he was wearing for clothing. His pale light blonde hair, which was nearly white, had grown to just above his shoulders with negligence, contrasting sharply against the dark bruises and cuts that showed through his pink-tinted feathers. Pink feathers?   
"His feathers!" Wildwing looked to Tanya, worry in his eyes that the Mask could not cover up. "That's not how they're supposed to look, is it?"   
Tanya shook her head, closing her eyes as she shuddered. "They're supposed to be an off yellow . . . But he's been malnourished for so long that his body can no longer waste the energy to make the proper pigment for them . . . That happens when a child is only fed a few times in a week. They must have starved him . . . . "   
"Can we help him?" Wildwing's voice again dropped, this time to a gentler whisper. "I mean, isn't there anything we can do?"   
She sighed, looking to the boy as she tried to blink back her tears. "We need to get him on life support immediately and clean his wounds . . . So many of them are infected to the point that they could kill him. And his breath is so shallow, it could be too late-"   
"-No! It's not too late! We have to at least try and save him, if at all possible!" Wildwing replied quickly, gently reaching to stroke the boy's hair. "He's so young . . . He can't die yet!"   
"Wildwing, so many children died from not as dire of situations that he barely has a chance . . . " She shook her head quickly. "Y-You're right, t-though. We have to try. A-And hope."   
"Maybe I should have an ambula-" Klegghorn started to suggest, but Tanya shook her head quickly once more as she cut him off.   
"NO!" She cried, looking to him in horror before she winced and looked down at the boy, barely mumbling loud enough for either Wildwing or Klegghorn to hear her. "O-Our bodies are different f-from humans. If you t-took care of him, he would have . . . have no chance to survive. He'd d-die!"   
The boy let out a small dry sob of terror, and Tanya immediately pulled the boy closer to her, whispering softly to him as Klegghorn let out a long sigh. "If you feel it's for the best . . . . "   
"It is," Wildwing replied when Tanya didn't. "Our technology is much more advanced than anything Earth has, and our bodies' needs differ enough from humans that even your best doctors couldn't save him."   
Klegghorn nodded, standing up and beginning to make the crowd move away from him and the ducks, to give them room to leave. "I won't keep you two, then."   
Tanya clutched the boy close as she stood, careful to make sure that he was comfortable and that she was not hurting him. She shielded him from the sight of the humans as the walked through the crowd, staying close to Wildwing's back in an effort to keep him further hidden. He had already been through so much, he didn't need to be gawked at as well.   
"You know he'll have tons of emotional damage as well, right, Wildwing?" Tanya spoke again when they were nearly to the Migrator. "He'll need everyone to be there for him every step of the way."   
"We'll be there for him, Tanya," Wildwing reassured her, helping her get to the Migrator's ramp through the remainder of the crowd. "Don't worry."   
Tanya swallowed and began nervously, "But-"   
"-No buts. The others will want to help him through this. Have hope and give him a chance."   
-Please don't die on us, please!- Tanya mentally begged the unconscious child in her arms, not daring to whisper anymore of her fears outloud as the Migrator's door closed behind them. -You have to live! You just have to!-   


*End of Chapter One*   



	2. Darkness

A Casualty of War 

By Icelightning 

Chapter 2: Darkness   
  


Author's note: I probably should've put a bigger warning on this story, after all, it's very graphic in nature. Ah well, you've probably figured it out by now. At any rate, the last chapter didn't describe all of the boy's wounds, hence the title for this chapter. And it will get worse before it gets better, but I promise you, it *will* get better. Just slowly. Oh, and the POV might just disappear from the fanfic entirely . . . It's different from my other universe, making it harder to put the POVs in. =P You'll never see another chapter if I have to write them. 

Author's second note: **_MAJOR_** thanks to Lily C.! Without her help, I would've been extremely inaccurate about the situation with Cammy.. And the proper medical procedures that Tanya would have ultilized to help save him. Many, MANY thanks, Lily! And that thanks extends to my grammar and spelling beta-reader, Orenda! If you think our current RP is bad, just wait until Tanya starts brooding! *Cackles*   


The trip back to the Pond was silent, only broken by the occasional whisper from Tanya to the child she had rested on a blanket she had found within the Migrator. She had already taken to mothering the child as if the boy was one of her own, as she dressed and cleaned the wounds on his arms and legs that she could with the limited supplies she had stored on the Migrator. The rest, especially the ones that were infected, would have to wait until they got the boy into the Infirmary.   
Wildwing glanced back at the two during a red light, his eyes softening as he regarded them. A child of the boy's age should not be as still as he was. His body should have been full of energy and life, instead of laying there like a limp ragdoll. It sickened Wildwing to think that someone could have hurt such an innocent being. He was barely more than a newborn duckling!   
He sighed and pressed the gas pedal as the light turned green, focusing again on the road. He thought about the others. How would they react to the new addition?   
And then he began to worry about how the sight of the boy would affect them, Nosedive especially. Nosedive was still having nightmares about the camps, although less often, but the sight of the child's wounds would likely make them come back full force. He was more injured than Wildwing and Nosedive had ever been from the camps put together. How could it not scare Nosedive, who had gone through that hell at such a young age? To see a child so much younger in a much greater pain . . . .   
Wildwing lost himself in his worried thoughts, paying more attention to them than to the road in front of him, driving as if on auto-pilot. He was only jarred back into reality once more when he parked the Migrator in the hangar and Drake One's alarms went off. Sighing, he unbuckled his restraint and got out of his seat, glancing back to Tanya as she carefully picked up the child once more. The child looked so impossibly small and defenseless in her arms that Wildwing couldn't help but wonder if the child had any chance of survival, even after the pep talk he had given Tanya only a little bit earlier.   
Shaking his head, he quickly pushed his doubts aside and followed Tanya out of the Migrator. He'd have to deal with them later. Right now, he needed to worry about the child and Nosedive. The only two things they knew about his injuries were that they did not belong to a body Chameleon created through his shape-shifting ability and that they were serious. Tanya had also mentioned something about the child having a lack of blood. Enough that she'd have to give him an artificial suppliment for the blood he had lost.   
As they went towards the Infirmary at their hurried pace, Wildwing stopped briefly to shut off the alarm because it would most likely terrify the youngster. He then jogged back up to Tanya's side, matching the timing of his steps with hers once more as they walked through the hall which housed their rooms. Wildwing knew that he could do little to help Tanya with the boy, but at least he could make sure that she didn't go through it alone.   
They went along in hurried silence, neither speaking of gravity of the situation, each too firmly lost in their own thoughts to say them outloud to the other. Tanya looked down at the boy once more, letting out an unconscious sigh as she went through the training she had undergone to become a qualified team medic back on Puckworld which she had finished shortly before their arrival on Earth. Knowledge that would grant her the power to save the little life close held to her bosom.   
She was silently thankful that she had taken a course in the treatment for victims of the Saurians' cruelty; the course had been called something else, some insanely huge scientific name, but it was essentially that. Always desperate to be in control of any situation, Tanya had thought it would be useful in the future, especially after they defeated Dragaunus. But when they followed Dragaunus through the dimensional gateway and were seperated from Puckworld, she was certain she'd never find a use for it on Earth.   
Tanya, in one of the few times of her life, had been wrong. She envoked her memories of the course as best as she could, finding herself pleasantly surprised when she realized she remembered nearly all of it. The rest she would be able to find in the medical logs she had transferred from the Aerowing to Drake One and the Infirmary's computer upon their construction. She'd be able to do this, Tanya told herself, she'd be able to save the little boy's life. She had to!   
Wildwing concentrated on remaining as quiet as he could, keeping his eyes open for Nosedive and the others as he worried about the child. Despite if the child lived or died, Wildwing knew his brother's nightmares would return. How strongly they would return would be based on how badly the child would look when Nosedive would finally see him for the first time. He'd prefer that his little brother didn't see the youngling until after he had been cleaned and bandaged and if possible, not until he was able to eat solids again. But Wildwing knew that the second possible situation was, in fact, not a possibility. Nosedive would find out about the boy and would wish to see him sooner than later because he'd figure out something was wrong by Wildwing's disposition and would pester him until the older mallard told him the truth, the full truth, even if he was afraid to hear it.   
That moment came even sooner than Wildwing had expected when the door to his and Nosedive's room suddely slid open as the younger of the two brothers stepped out into the hallway. Smiling, Nosedive gave a sleepy wave and took a few steps towards them, his greeting lost in a yawn. Wildwing panicked and stepped out in front of Tanya to hide the injured child, but only succeeded in pulling Nosedive's attention to what he was trying to keep out of Nosedive's sight. The teenager saw the boy.   
The effect of seeing the broken child in Tanya's arms was immediate. Nosedive's smile was replaced a look of blind terror akin to the look of a deer caught in the headlights. He backed away frantically, tripping over his own feet in his panic and falling onto his backside before he started pushing himself away with his hands and feet, too scared to even think about picking himself up off the ground, his beak opening in a silent scream.   
Wildwing rushed to his brother's side, kneeling by the scared teen, who had begun to shake violently, and pulling him into an embrace as he whispered words of comfort to Nosedive. The teenager struggled in Wildwing's arms, desperate to get away from the memories. He only calmed down when Wildwing blocked his view with his body and nuzzled his cheek. In Wildwing's arms, Nosedive broke down and began to peep, clinging to his brother's shirt as if his brother was his last link to sanity. Wildwing sighed, stroking Nosedive's hair and nuzzling him from time to time.   
"Tanya, I'll be there in a few, I just can't leave Nosedive like this . . . " Wildwing stated gently, glancing up only briefly to Tanya before returning his full attention back to his terrified sibling.   
Tanya sighed as well, nodding softly even though she knew Wildwing wasn't looking at her. "R-Right, I'll go start a body-scan."   
She watched Wildwing hold his trembling sibling close for a minute before she began to journey towards the Infimary once more, going over in her mind what she would need to get ready while the body scan was being completed. In truth, Tanya knew that Wildwing offered to stay with her, and it wasn't because he could assist her in any great way, but instead to help her stay calm and in control of herself. Well, as calm and in control of herself as possible. Either way, she appreciated him caring about her enough to make sure that she wasn't facing one of the Saurians' evil deeds alone.   
Sighing, Tanya laid the pale child onto one of the bio-beds ever-so-gently, pausing for a moment to stroke the part of his fine hair that wasn't coated in blood. So soft, like the rest of him. So innocent and defenseless . . . .   
The child let out a small whimper and she was brought back to reality, looking down quickly at the tiny being in front of her. He didn't move again, and she sighed sadly. Poor thing. Tanya walked over to the Infirmary console and began typing into it rapidly. She couldn't stand there; there wasn't time to waste!   


"Oh, Nosedive . . . " Wildwing sighed as he terrified younger brother clung to him, shivering, showing no signs of wanting to let go anytime soon. "I know you're scared, but Tanya-"   
He winced, falling silent as his brother clung to him tighter, another peep escaping from the younger brother's beak. Wildwing's eyes softened, regarding the teenager clinging to him with a concerned gaze. It had been a long time since Nosedive had been too scared to cry and could only peep in distress. He knew his brother was terrified of the camps, but the teenager had never gotten so upset around the camps before that he was beyond crying. At least, not when Wildwing was around to see it.   
"The boy's probably terrified," Wildwing began again, stroking his brother's hair. "Just like you are, baby bro'. He's just as scared as you are and probably more so. He's gone through the camps, like we did."   
Or so Wildwing assumed. How was he to know the awful truth?   
The older brother sighed, not knowing what else to say. The child needed much love and care to get through this. And the child would recover all the faster if Nosedive helped with him. The hardest part, however, would be getting Nosedive to conquer his fears.   
"He needs us, baby bro'. . He doesn't have a big brother to hold him close and tell him everything's okay. . . He doesn't have anyone." Wildwing stroked his brother's hair, smiling sadly as Nosedive looked up to him.   
"N-Nobody . . . ?" Nosedive's voice was barely above a whisper, shaking. "H-He's all alone. . . ?"   
Wildwing only nodded softly in response, relaxing a little mentally; Nosedive was finally beginning to understand.   
"But h-he's so little!" Nosedive continued, becoming alarmed. "H-He's really all alone?"   
"He was," Wildwing corrected gently, directing his thoughts to his brother. -C'mon Nosedive, put two-and-two together..-   
"Was?" Nosedive's brow wrinkled slightly in confusion, then his eyes widened as the realization of what Wildwing was trying to convey hit him.   
"H-He's got us now, though, r-right?" Nosedive replied quickly, causing his brother to break out into a soft smile.   
"The child has me and Tanya . . . Does he have you as well?" Wildwing asked, hiding a grin, already knowing the answer.   
"Of course he does!" Nosedive answered immediately. "I-I'll be there for him like y-you were for me.. Since h-he doesn't have a big brother to protect him like I-I did.. Like I do."   
Nosedive smiled weakly, his smile growing a little more when his brother nuzzled him once again. Wildwing smiled back to him in obvious relief.   
"W-We won't let him down," Nosedive whispered and Wildwing nodded.   
"We won't, baby bro'. You're right, we won't." Wildwing shifted and stood up, offering Nosedive his hand. "So let's go start taking care of him right now."   
Nosedive took it and stood up, grinning a little bit more to Wildwing, although he didn't let go of his brother's hand. "Yeah.."   
Wildwing smiled at this, giving his brother's hand a gentle squeeze. They'd get through this, and the boy would recover. He had to . . .   
They had started to make their way towards the Infirmary, hand in hand, when Tanya suddenly let out a scream of shock and horror. Glancing at each other quickly before looking back down the hall, the brothers broke into a run, still holding onto each other. A minute later, they ran into the Infirmary, finding Tanya trying to contain her tears . . . And failing.   
"No, no! T-These readings *can't* b-be right!" Tanya choked back a sob, hands flying up to her beak as she backed away from the console.   
"Tanya, what's wrong?" Wildwing asked in alarm, strided over to her side with Nosedive hovering close to him as the teenager glanced nerviously between Tanya and the boy.   
"H-He's dying!" Tanya shook, looking back to the others with horrified eyes.   
Wildwing and Nosedive found themselves staring at her in shock. The child was already going to leave them? Nosedive refused to believe it. The child would survive, w-wouldn't he?   
"He can't b-be dying!" The younger brother whispered after a minute. "H-He has to live!"   
Tanya shook her head. "I-I can't save him. . He's got a rare bloodtype and there's no time to make a synthetic replacement b-before h . . he . . ."   
She cut herself off with a choked sob, turning away from them to hide her tears.   
Wildwing's eyes softened and he slowly let go of his brother's hand, placing it on Tanya's shoulder instead. "It's okay Tanya, y-you did your best . . ."   
She let out another sob, turning back to them quickly, and practically threw herself at Wildwing as she burst into full-blown cries. He sighed, wrapping his arms around her as she clung with her arms around his neck. Nosedive's heart dropped . . . If Tanya said the boy was going to die, then they couldn't save him . . . But he hadn't the heart to comfort her and looked away instead, towards the boy.   
The fear he had felt before at the sight of the boy had been replaced by an overwhelming sadness. The child was going to die without even knowing he was free from the Saurians. If only there was a way to save him . . . He didn't deserve to die now that he could finally be able to learn how to be happy again! Nosedive wanted to help him, wanted to save him, wanted to save himself from the fear. But now all of that was impossible. The only thing they could do now was stay with the boy as he faded away from the world . . . .   
Nosedive glanced to the console with the child's fading life stats, sighing as he stepped past Wildwing and Tanya to get a better look at the console. He sighed and winced at what it reported. The child was indeed dying of bloodloss. Tanya had managed to stop all the bleeding, both internal and external, but the damage was already done. It was too late.   
Shaking his head in disbelief, Nosedive let his gaze wander to regard the boy again. The boy already looked dead, his skin almost a stark white, easily visible through his semitransparent feathers. Semitransparent? Nosedive's eyes widened as he stared, horrified. The child had gone through the camps? Was there no end to the Saurians' cruelty?   
He knew the condition was caused by severe malnutrition, to the point where the body just couldn't waste the energy to make the pigments for the child's down. And in order for his entire feather coat to be clear, it would have been months since he had a proper meal. In some places, his feathers were missing entirely, but that wasn't because of malnutrition, Nosedive suspected. Even in his sleep, there was a look of sheer terror etched into his face. The teen regarding him clutched his hands into fists, trying to push back the memories with his anger. He didn't want to remember the time, still far too close in memory and time, where his own feathers had been nearly the same hue. Nearly, as in the child was in a worse state than he had ever been in his entire internment in the camps.   
The beeping of the boy's heartrate, a monitoring technique Tanya had picked up from the humans, began to steadily get slower, drawing Nosedive's attention back to the monitor. He would've felt better about the entire situation if the child had been at rest. And if he had at least waken up so they could've told him he was free and made his final moments more comfortable ones.   
Nosedive forced back tears as they began to obscure his vision. He didn't need to cry right now. If there was anything he could do for the boy, he wouldn't be able to do it if he gave into his emotions. He needed to think! The least he could do was ease the boy's pain. The least one victim could do for another.   
His eyes scanned the screen as his wracked his brain trying to remember what Tanya had told him the readings meant. Eventually, though, he gave up and started concentrating on the few he did remember. Glancing over them, he began to let out a sigh of dispair when he stiffened, his blood running cold and his heart skipping more than one beat.   
The child has his bloodtype.   
_His_ bloodtype.   
And that meant there was still a chance they could save him.   
Nosedive's eyes lit up in determination, and he turned his brother as he continued his failing efforts to comfort Tanya. "Wildwing!"   
The older brother looked up, looking to his brother in confusion at the sound of triumph in his voice. "Nosedive, what . . ?"   
Tanya lifted her head to regard Nosedive as well.   
"I have his bloodtype!" Nosedive exclaimed, trying to keep his hope from overtaking him completely; in the end, though, he didn't care. Any hope was better than having none. And he wanted to hope.   
She stared at him in shock for a few moments before roughly breaking away from Wildwing, rushing over to Nosedive's side. "A-Are you sure?"   
Nosedive nodded. "I'm positive!"   
Wildwing walked briskly to the console in front of the other two, then nodded. "He does."   
"Then let's do it!" Nosedive begged, turning to Wildwing before the older brother had time to react. "I can save him, 'Wing!"   
The leader of the Mighty Ducks opened his mouth to ask Nosedive if he was sure he wanted to go through with it, but one look into his brother's eyes said it all. He had never seen such determination before, even in the camps. Nosedive wanted to do it and nothing that Wildwing said would deter him from that path. And Wildwing had not the mind to.   
"Just be careful," Wildwing cracked an encouraging smile to his younger brother and Nosedive grinned back his relief.   
And without waiting another second, Tanya rushed Nosedive to a bed adjacent to the child's, getting out the equipment in a hurry. Every second counted and they had already waited too long to start helping the child. She hurriedly ran to one of the cabinets, searching through it desperately.   
As Nosedive watched Tanya set up the equipment, he couldn't help but smile weakly to the child. -Don't worry kid, I'm not letting you down without a fight.-   
There wasn't time for Nosedive to bleed into a bag for Tanya to test the blood and make sure it was safe for the boy. Any minute he could die and he _would_ be dead by the time she got around to testing the blood. Instead, she stuck a hollow needle into one of each Puckworlders' arm, then had Nosedive's bed elevated so that gravity drew Nosedive's blood into the boy's veins.   
Nosedive made a point of looking above and away from his arm, towards the boy's face, trying to ignore the sight of his blood flowing into the boy's arm. He couldn't stand the sight of blood ever since . . . Someone squeezed his other hand and Nosedive turned his head to smile weakly to Wildwing as he sat down in a chair next to the medical bed Nosedive was laying on.   
"It's going to be okay, baby bro'," Wildwing's smile was infinitely sadder with his inability to shake off his worry for his brother. What if Tanya took too much blood from him?   
"I know it's going to be okay," Nosedive replied quietly after a minute's silence, sighing softly and shaking his head. "So stop worrying about me."   
Wildwing chuckled nervously, trying to hide his surprise that Nosedive had read him so easily. "That's like asking Phil not to sign us up for publicity stunts."   
Nosedive's laugh was hollow, although he grinned to his brother still. "Point. Then try and worry _less._"   
"I'll try, but no guarentees," Wildwing stated, giving his brother's hand another gentle squeeze.   
Nosedive tore his sight away from the boy once more and shared a look of hushed worry with his brother. He tried to speak, tried to say something to lighten the grim sadness on Wildwing's face, but his voice failed him.   
Silence then drew its thick curtain and the room remained deathly quiet until after Tanya had completed the procedure and was checking the boy's life signs. Tanya broke the veil with a smile after a few minutes of intense study regarding the output.   
"His life signs are stablizing," She visibly relaxed, answering the brothers' unspoken question. "Now all I have to do is give him some anti-inflammatories for the concussion and he should phase into regular sleep sometime tonight. Then, I can clean up the rest of his wounds without injuring him further. He'll be too exhausted to wake up for the next day or two, so we'll be able to bypass his reaction to the initial cleansing."   
The younger brother winced, remembering how much his own wounds had hurt the first time they were treated properly after they had escaped the camps. By the stars, how it _hurt._ He'd never want the boy to go through that.   
"Nosedive," Tanya's gaze zeroed in specifically on the teenager as her eyes narrowed into an accusing glare. "You must _not_ do any major exertions for the next few days or you'll overextend yourself. Which means no hockey games, no battles, and absolutely _no_ staying up late."   
"What? No staying up late?? C'mon, you know I can't fall asleep before midnight!" Nosedive whined and Wildwing tried to hide his amuse smile. "That's unfair!"   
"I'm not going to chance you passing out and you need a good night's sleep, so you're going to bed on time for the next couple of days until your blood replenishes itself," Tanya stated. "And Wildwing would agree with me."   
Nosedive's eyes turned wide and begging as his attention snapped to his brother's face.   
"C'mon, 'Wing, you can't let her bench me . . . " Nosedive whined and Wildwing smile finally showed through, although it was softer and more adoring.   
"Nosedive, I'm afraid she's right. The rest would do you good, anyways." Wildwing replied, trying hard not to snicker at Nosedive's groan. If Nosedive knew how close he was to laughing outloud, despite the situation, Nosedive would kill him.   
"You'll have to stay in here about an hour for observation," Tanya continued, hiding her own smile of amusement. "Then, you'll be free to go."   
"Oh, alright," Nosedive reluctantly agreed, although he secretly admitted to himself that laying down sounded really nice at the moment.   
"All the others should be awake and still in the Pond by then, so we can inform them of the situation then," Wildwing speculated, before adding, "and Nosedive could take a nap while I give them the news."   
"But, but!" Nosedive voiced his complaints again and Wildwing shook his head.   
"Sorry baby bro', but you need your rest, and if you take a nap in a bit, you'll still have some energy left by nighttime. Otherwise you'll find yourself drifting off early." Wildwing explained and Nosedive sighed, nodding.   
"I guess I could," Nosedive sighed after a moment, again only admitting to himself the idea of a nap wasn't too unpleasant of one.   
Tanya nodded, then started typing on the medical console's keyboard again. "I'll start a more detailed body-scan while we wait."   
Nosedive glanced back at the child, sighing softly. He could already tell this was going to be a long day.   
And he hoped, with all his heart, that it would be a long day with a happy ending.   
  
  
*End of Chapter Two*   



	3. Scars

A Casualty of War 

By Icelightning 

Chapter 3: Scars   
  


Author's note: Well, finally got around to writing this chapter. Took Orenda finishing her new chapter to get me into the mood to write it.. Figures, right? One fic of evilness inspires another. I was planning on having the child wake up this chapter, but it seems like that won't happen until the next one.. *Sighs* Figures, right? Ah well, he'll definitely be waking up the next chapter, from what I've planned so far. At least it didn't take someone kicking my butt in order to get around to writing this chapter.. I sorta want to get to the place where my little guy wakes up, anyways. =P Although all the people that know me via AIM know who the little guy is.. I can't help but rant about him all the time! Hmm, better start writing the fanfic so you can see why that is. . . =P 

Author's second note: ^^ Oh, and yes, before I forget... Thank you Eiflin for the idea about the scene with Duke. You'll figure out what I mean when you read it. ^.~ 

Author's third note: Ahhhh! Nearly forgot to give a big huge wonderful thank you to Lily C.! She told me the best way of cleaning out the wounds and such . . . ^^ Gotta thank her for that. Thanks! 

Author's fourth, and final, note: Ha! You thought I was done! Lol, thanks to Orenda for beta-reading this for me. ^^ You go, girl! Oh, and this chapter turned out to be a lot longer than expected.. The next one should be shorter, but I had a lot of description in this chapter, so... =P Nyeh. 

Author's fifth, and now new final, note: I lied! Lol.. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, all! Consider this my Christmas present to all of you folk! =P It will get happier, lol. 

Author's six note, which is hopefully now the last one: Oh, and the "Taunny" part came from majik's fanfic way back when... So, I'm going to give her credit for that. I believe it was called "Independence Day," but I may be wrong. Either way, you'll find it on her website at http://chaoscentral.freeservers.com/   


Nosedive sighed, watching as Tanya went back to her typing, initiating a deeper probe of the boy's injuries, both external and internal. Looking away, he glanced to the child and sat up, now that Tanya had removed the needle and patched up his arm. Settling himself down on the boy's bio-bed, Nosedive reached up a hand to gently smooth down a stray lock of hair on the child's head.   
Wildwing's eyes softened and he pulled up a chair, sitting next to Nosedive. He gave the teenager a reassuring smile when Nosedive looked up in confusion, but Nosedive was able to only give Wildwing a weak one in return. Nosedive then glanced back to the boy, stroking his hair gently, avoiding the wound on his head.   
He was taking this better than Wildwing thought he would be . . . Nosedive never ceased to amaze his brother with his ability to adapt. And Wildwing had also gotten Nosedive over his initial fear already, so that he was all for helping the boy. In truth, Wildwing suspected that part of it was because Nosedive knew this could help him conquer some of his fears from back when he was in the camps. Sometimes helping another through the same thing one went through helped them come to terms with what happened to them. Nosedive and Wildwing both realized this, which was partially why they were so wanting to help the boy. The other half being that they felt it was their responsibility to help him. After all, they were the only members of his species on the entire planet. Who else was he going to turn to for the comfort and support he needed?   
"Do you think he even knows what's happening, 'Wing?" Nosedive asked, breaking Wildwing out of his thoughts. "Does he even know he's safe? And that we're going to take care of him?"   
Wildwing debated on his answer for a moment before he sighed, giving in and deciding to tell Nosedive the truth, "I don't know, baby bro'."   
"I hope he does.. I don't like the idea of him being scared when he wakes up. But he's going to be okay, right?" Nosedive glanced up at Wildwing again, his eyes suddenly pleading. "We'll be able to make him better, right?"   
"Of course, Nosedive.." Wildwing answer was almost immediate this time. "You just gotta believe and not give up.."   
Nosedive nodded, finding his gaze shifting to the boy's still form, "I wonder what his name is . . . He's gotta remember his name, right? Or has it been too long . . . ? Does he only remember his number now?"   
Wildwing's eyes softened incredibly at that and he smiled sadly to his brother. "Even if he doesn't remember his name, we'll give him one."   
"A cute one?" Nosedive didn't look back to his brother, but Wildwing nodded anyways.   
"Of course," Wildwing patted his brother back, standing up and taking a perch on the bed next to Nosedive. "And we'll fill the Pond with every toy he could dream of . . . "   
"Yeah . . . Man, this is going to be like I have a baby brother of my own, isn't it?" Nosedive grinned a little at that spot. "I'm going to have to spoil him rotten."   
"We're all planning on doing that, Nosedive," Tanya stated, speaking for the first time in the last couple of minutes. "You two get him the toys, I'll get him the stuffed animals."   
"Deal," Nosedive smiled a bit more to the child's body, feeling a little bit better now that they had even a slight plan about how to deal with the child.   
Wildwing blinked when his comm went off, opening it to reveal Klegghorn's face. "Klegghorn? What is it?"   
"I thought I'd come over and give the kid a few toys . . . Especially since there's a horde of TV reporters waiting to jump you when one of you comes out of the front doors," Klegghorn replied matter-of-factly, although his eyes were a bit worried. "How is the boy, anyways?"   
"Stable, right now," Wildwing sighed. "He was dying from blood loss, but Nosedive luckily was able to give him enough blood that Tanya could use synthetics for the rest of what he was missing."   
"Good news at least. Has he woken up?" Klegghorn's concern for the boy was obvious in his voice.   
Wildwing shook his head. "Not yet . . Tanya said he won't wake up for a few hours, so we're going to clean him up before then, so he won't have to go through that while he's conscious."   
"Probably a good idea," Klegghorn agreed, still glancing down to his communicator. "I'd appreciate if someone would come up and get me now."   
Wildwing glanced up to Nosedive questioningly and Nosedive nodded, smiling softly. "Go ahead, bro'. I'll be okay staying with Tanya for a few."   
"You sure?" Wildwing blinked in surprise.   
"Yeah, she'll take care of me, so don't worry bro'," Nosedive stated, stroking the boy's hair as he looked up to his brother. "Just go ahead and get the kid some toys. He'll need them."   
Wildwing paused and finally nodded, sighing softly, "You're right. Just comm me if you need me, okay, baby bro'?"   
Nosedive nodded. "Right, 'Wing. I'll be okay, so don't worry. Taunny will watch over me."   
"Don't call me Taunny!" Wildwing and Nosedive both snickered, but otherwise didn't comment.   
"As long as you're sure, Nosedive," Wildwing replied, putting a hand on Nosedive's shoulder.   
"I'm sure, now stop fussing over me and go let Kleggy in!" Nosedive mock-frowned and Wildwing ruffled his hair.   
"Okay, okay, I'm going," Wildwing grinned a little before looking back down to his comm. "I'll be right up, Klegghorn."   
"Good. See you in a few," the police captain shut off his communicator and Wildwing followed suit.   
"See you two in a bit," Wildwing nodded to the others, then walked out of the room.   
Nosedive sighed, watching Wildwing leave. But he didn't have long to worry about being without Wildwing, because that was when the scanner beeped, indicating it was done.   


"So, what exactly did you bring?" Wildwing asked, glancing to the box of toys Klegghorn was carrying--a box so big that the police chief could barely carry it. Wildwing, however, thought it best not to make a comment.   
"Some of the usual stuff. You can worry about paying me later, since this comes out of the toys fund for the poor kids we find," Klegghorn stated, then explained further when Wildwing looked at him blankly. "Some gentle, non-violent toys. And a video or two. We generally carry a lot of these toys because they tend to calm scared kids, even if the toys are for someone younger than them. I thought he'd benefit from playing with them in the same way."   
"Good idea," Wildwing nodded, then sighed, taking the toys from Klegghorn's arms. "Thanks, Klegghorn, we owe you one."   
"Don't mention it," Klegghorn replied quickly. "If there's anything else I can do . . . "   
Wildwing paused for a moment before answering, "If the media becomes a nuisance, could you possibly post guards at the doors? I don't want the boy bothered by them until he's emotionally stable. And not even then, if we can help it."   
Klegghorn nodded, then fell into step with Wildwing as the mallard headed towards the locker room entrance to the Pond. "Consider it done. They'll come, and it's best to be ready for them from the start."   
Wildwing blinked at Klegghorn when the human didn't excuse himself to go. "Klegghorn?"   
"If you wouldn't mind, I'd like to see how bad the kid is myself . . . If I could get an idea on how bad he is, I could help you get medical supplies that you don't have," he explained and Wildwing smiled sadly.   
"He's . . . Pretty bad," Wildwing admitted. "He'll have permanent scarring, at the least. By the stars, I hope that's _all_ he has."   
"That bad?" Klegghorn grimaced; he didn't think it was that bad.   
After all, who would hurt a young child? But someone _had_ hurt the child, and that child was now suffering. Klegghorn glanced up at Wildwing's sigh.   
"At the least. Like I said, we nearly lost him . . ." Wildwing shook his head, his eyes soft and sad. "I just hope he can make it through the night. Then we can start worrying about helping to make him happy again."   
Wildwing fell silent as the police captain stepped into the elevator and the doors shut behind him. Their descent to the lower levels started and Wildwing let out another sigh, running a hand through his hair. Wildwing, however, didn't speak again and the silence continued.   
Realizing that Wildwing didn't want to talk more about the child's condition at the moment, Klegghorn changed the topic. "And the medical supplies?"   
"Oh, uhm . . Tanya probably has most of the stuff, but we appreciate it just the same," Wildwing punched in the code to the elevator before glancing to Klegghorn, a weak smile on his beak. "No Saurians controlling the security system this time, I promise."   
Klegghorn chuckled lightly. "That's a relief, at least."   
"Tell me about it," Wildwing agreed, leading Klegghorn down the hall as the elevator stopped and the doors opened.   


"How bad is he?" Nosedive whispered, not daring to leave the boy's side; he didn't really want to know the full truth, anyways.   
Tanya glanced down to the console once more, scrolling through the first few virtual pages of the report. When it started to concern his injuries, she slowed down. A few sentences later, she stopped scrolling down entirely.   
"Tanya?" Nosedive asked uncertainly, but he got no answer.   
She ignored the teenager and reread a section of the report, unable to believe her eyes. Then, she reread it a second time. And after that, a third. Every time, her face lost a little more of its color as she paled, mouth open in unspeakable horror.   
This panicked Nosedive and he voiced his fear in a soft whisper, "T-Taunny? O-Oh stars, h-he's r..really bad, isn't h-he?"   
Tanya managed to nod numbly and Nosedive stared at her. "W-Worse than a-anything I've e-ever seen . . . H-He's lucky t..to even be alive!"   
Nosedive sucked in a breath, trying to control the sudden panic that flooded his mind and threatened to take him over. Stuff like this wasn't supposed to happen to children! He wasn't supposed to be this hurt . . . "G-Great M..Mother of D-Ducks..!"   
He felt light-headed and he was forced to lie down. Shivering, he let go of the boy's hand and wrapped his arm over his shoulders in a protective hug. Poor kid didn't deserve this. He took a couple of deep breaths, but still, he trembled.   
It had been so long since Nosedive had been in the camps, and yet, the thought of them brought an unimaginable fear into his heart. It was only heightened with the fact that the Saurians had tortured such a young child so badly. Did they do this to other children, too? Other children that weren't so lucky to escape like the one he held protectively? Or did even worse things happen to them?   
The information on the screen finally began to sink in and Tanya closed her eyes in grief. No one deserved this . . . Not even the Saurians. So why did this have to happen to a child?   
She sighed, opening her eyes again, but the read-out didn't change. It was still the same. Taking a deep breath, Tanya forced herself to read it slowly.   
The child had suffered through ten times the pain than any of the work camp victims Tanya had seen and treated. What seemed like a hundred or more scars criss-crossed his body, his back so heavily wounded that Tanya was amazed his underlying muscle was mostly undamaged. The Saurians had probably meant to keep him alive and make him suffer for as long as they could, Tanya realized, and she had to force her breakfast down as she examined the scarring further. It was not caused by a whip, like the injuries most victims supported, but by jagged Saurian claws. If he had been in a camp, they wouldn't have bothered. No, he had suffered a worse, but all too common fate--he had been a personal slave.   
Smaller claw marks probably belonging to a Saurian woman lined his front and thicker claw marks, which probably belong to a Saurian man, covered his back. They corresponded with the external, and internal, injuries the child had received to his lower anatomy. Tanya sighed and closed her eyes, reciting a prayer quietly. The child . . .   
. . . Had been raped, and more than once; possibly by both Saurians at the same time. Probably by both at the same time. For Tanya knew of the only Saurians that could've done such a thing. She knew which ones had done this to him. Tanya had feared the worst and the worst had been realized.   
He was a victim of one of Dragaunus's chief generals and the general's mate. There were rumors surrounding the pair, but Tanya knew that many of them were true. They were the ultimate torturers; very few, if any, prisoners died unbroken at their hands. It was also said that they ate the flesh of both young and newborn ducklings, roasting them slowly to death on a spit over an open fire, until the last of their cries and peeps faded away. They were the lucky ones. The children of higher officials in the Resistence weren't given such a quick release. No, their torment only ceased once the last drop of blood was drained from their bodies. They were kept alive, tortured mentally and physically, alone and separated from the rest. Those children got lesser food, sleep, and no contact with anyone besides their captors. They would only be released when they ceased to fight back or cry--in order to finally be free, they had to become completely unresponsive to the world.   
That was what they were doing to the boy lying on the bio-bed in front of her. The child was going to be their latest victim . . . But they had yet to succeed making him completely unresponsive, judging by the fact that he was still alive.   
Tanya smiled grimly. With the extent of his injuries and the level of his malnutrition, this child was a fighter. Amazing for one his age. She promised herself that he would not have held onto his life in vain. Tanya would help him learn how to laugh and love again. He wouldn't have to suffer anymore.   
"T-Taunny? Please, a-answer me . . . " Nosedive begged quietly, after having his teammate ignore him unintentionally for several minutes, and Tanya blinked, returning from her thoughts.   
"Nosedive?" She turned to regard Nosedive, her eyes widening as she saw the fear in his.   
"H-He's g..gonna die, i-isn't he?" Tanya's eyes softened at Nosedive's question and she shook her head, walking over next to him and sitting down.   
"Of c-course not . . . He's just be through s-so much . . ." Tanya sighed, wrapping her arm around Nosedive's shoulders.   
"But w-we'll make him better, r-right?" Nosedive whispered and Tanya smiled softly to him.   
"Of course, Nosedive, of course," She replied, patting his shoulder before standing up. "Now how about we get the medical supplies we need so we can start cleaning him up, okay, Nosedive?"   
"Okay," he stood up after Tanya, following her to the cubboards as she explained what they would need.   
"First off, we have to sterilize his wounds, so we'll need . . . "   


An alarm went off in one duck's quarters, sending a loud, blaring sound throughout the room. Now, having said alarm in one's room is bad enough, but it's even worse when said alarm is next to one's ear. So, of course, this being the case, the inhabitant of the room reacted with extreme prejudice, grabbing the radio and chucking it as hard as possible towards the wall.   
_***BEEP BEEP BEEP** BEEP BEEP Beep beep bee- **CRASH!** . . . Screeeeeeeech, thunk.*_   
Duke froze when he heard the demise of his radio-alarm, realizing what he had done. He sighed and cursed readily, although he didn't move his head from underneath his pillow. Tanya was going to _kill_ him.   
-_I swore I set that thing to radio,_- Duke groaned mentally. -_Next clock, I'm havin' Tanya remove the alarm. I'd rather oversleep than listen to **that**._-   
He sighed, glancing up to the clock on the wall--one that he installed himself after impaling one of his alarm clocks into his bookcase. Tanya was not too pleased about that one even, either, now that he thought of it. At least she didn't try killing him like she did the first time. Then again, she was getting used to his alarm-throwing by then. After all, that unlucky one was his fifth.   
All in all, however, the clock on the wall served it's purpose, even if it did hang a little loosely. He was an ex-thief, not an ex-mechanic. Although Tanya had made him help with repairs to the Migrator; according to her, she was still repairing the damage he did when he had the wheel against Daddy O' Cool. Duke didn't believe this, but he didn't argue. It could get kind of lonesome in the garage by oneself, so he really couldn't blame her for wanting some company. And, it was always good to learn something useful that might save someone's life.   
-_Stars, it's too early to be philosophical. I need a cup of coffee._- Duke declared to himself; now the hard part would be living up to fulfilling that declaration.   
He rolled himself onto his back, eagle-spread. Well, at least he was out from under his pillow, now. Of course, now he actually had to motivate himself to sit up.   
-_Easier said than done,_- Duke sighed, staring at the ceiling. -_Maybe I really should start listenin' to the others and not stay out too late._-   
Duke chuckled at the thought and finally sat up with a groan. His muscles were a lot more stiff than he remembered them being last night. A hot shower would fix that. But first, coffee.   
At the thought of that heavenly brew, Duke managed to get out of bed, grabbing a grubby shirt and pulling it over himself. They weren't expecting any company today, so it couldn't hurt. Not to mention that it was comfortable and, at the moment, he was too lazy to get something out of his closet at the moment.   
He smiled at that thought. It had been many, many years since he had felt safe enough to walk around in such a relaxed state. It amazed him how safe he felt now--he never thought he could be so comfortable. It was good to live with people you could really trust. Back on the streets, if one relaxed their guard, they were as good as dead.   
Yawning, he let that string of thought trail off and he hit the panel to open his door, walking out into the dimly lit hall. He assumed he was the only one up in the pond--after all, Wildwing and Tanya were away for some evil publicity stunt (which, thankfully, he wasn't a part of), and both Mallory and Nosedive loved to sleep in. Grin was probably off meditating, so he really didn't count and Duke didn't have to worry about him. As he walked towards the kitchen, he froze.   
Duke was surprised to hear Wildwing's footsteps; even more surprised when he realized that, not only was Wildwing with someone else, but his footsteps were quick and brief. He was worried about something. So, of course, the gray mallard first assumed Wildwing had been captured, but as he continued listening to the footsteps of Wildwing's companion, he realized this wasn't the case when he recognized the pattern of footsteps.   
-_Klegghorn? What's he doin' here?_- Duke wondered, quickly making up his mind to find out.   
He walked towards the direction of the footsteps, growing worried. Something must have happened, but what? Glancing around the corner, Duke blinked and his eyes went wide. Why was Wildwing carrying a large box of toys?   
Curious, Duke walked up to them, his face displaying his confusion, "Wildwing? Who are the toys for?"   
Wildwing and Klegghorn both jumped, startled, having not heard Duke approach them from behind. Wildwing glanced over his shoulder, relaxing at the sight of his teammate, only to tense up again at Duke's question. How was he even going to begin explaining?   
"We . . . Have a new resident at the Pond. At least, hopefully a new resident." Wildwing replied carefully, deciding to tell Duke in small pieces at a time.   
"What? A human kid?" Duke asked in alarm, but Wildwing shook his head.   
"No, not a human," Wildwing stated, silently glad that Klegghorn had the sense to remain silent.   
Duke stared at Wildwing in confusion. Not a human child? But that would mean . . . He froze.   
"A d-duckling? O-One of our own?" Duke was stunned when Wildwing nodded quietly.   
"A camp victim, at the least. Maybe a victim of something worse--Tanya's still running a deep bio-scan on him." Wildwing glanced down to his human companion. "Klegghorn here found him and alerted us. He also brought the toys for the boy, so we wouldn't have to deal with the media for a little while."   
"What's his name? Is he okay?" Duke tried to subdue the millions of questions running through his head, settling with only two at the moment.   
"We don't know--he was unconscious when Klegghorn found him and bandaged his head up," Wildwing continued. "He's got a concussion from falling through the dimensional gateway that brought him here."   
"Stars, is he all right?" Duke's voice took on a worried tone and Wildwing sighed.   
"We don't know yet. He nearly died of blood loss, but Nosedive's type matched and he donated some of his, with Tanya using synthetics to supply the rest." Wildwing shook his head sadly. "Nosedive and Tanya are in the Infirmary with him right now. He might have to be there for a while--he's pretty banged up, not to mention malnourished."   
"Damn them!" Duke muttered angrily, then forced his body to relax with a soft sigh. "Poor kid. He didn't deserve that."   
"Regardless, it happened, and now it's up to us to be his family and to help him recover," Wildwing spoke slowly, making sure that Duke understood what he meant without question.   
Duke suddenly looked nervous, like a fox caught in a trap, "But Wildwing, I dont' know da first thin' 'bout raising' a kid!"   
Wildwing sighed--he should have expected this; not many kids would've been raised by the Brotherhood of the Blade, if any, "Duke, it's not like you're going to be the only one taking care of-"   
"-I . . I-I might hurt him, 'Wing!" Duke added hastily, quickly looking away from his leader's confused face.   
"You won't," Wildwing reassured Duke, placing a hand on the other mallard's shoulder after shifting the box around. "You'll do fine. We'll all be raising him together."   
Duke laughed weakly with a slight blush on his cheeks, glancing at Wildwing out of the corner of his eye, "Yeah, yeah, y-you're right. Sorry 'bout that, I j-just gotta little carried away . . . L-let's go see how da others are doin', k'?"   
Wildwing blinked in confusion as Duke left quickly for the Infirmary. What was all that about? Something, most likely, that Duke wouldn't want to talk about. Something that, mostly likely, wasn't involved with the Brotherhood of the Blade. No, it had to have happened much earlier in his life. Why else would he be scared that he would hurt a child?   
Sighing, Wildwing followed Duke, Klegghorn walking along beside him once more. They'd best be back before Tanya and Nosedive began cleaning they boy's wounds. Nosedive would need Wildwing if he freaked out again.   


Nosedive glanced to Tanya in confusion when she placed a wet cloth over the duckling's shirt, "Tanya, what are you doing?"   
"Some of the scabs are stuck to his shirt. I'm trying to soften them up so I can remove the shirt without harming him." Tanya smiled sadly.   
"What about the rest of his clothes?" Nosedive asked, confused.   
Tanya hesitated, then answered, "He . . . Doesn't have any."   
"O-Oh," Nosedive paled a little, then quickly changed the subject, looking up to Tanya. "But what if some of the scars are infected?"   
"There's a few infected ones on his back--I'm going to inject those with synthetic antibodies. That way, we won't have to risk any bleeding or scarring his underlying tissue. He has so little flesh left on him that I'm afraid I could harm him if we cleaned his scars any other way." Tanya dipped the clothe into a small metal bowl before reapplying it. "I'll cut the front of his shirt off down the middle so we can work on cleaning his front first."   
"How are we going to do that?" Nosedive piped up another question and Tanya shook her head, sighing a little; Nosedive could be such a duckling sometimes, asking question after question after question . . .   
"We'll use the antibacterial wash on his scabs and clean off the rest of his body with baby shampoo," Tanya continued to explain when Nosedive opened his beak to ask a question. "The wash will seep through the scabs and the shampoo will clean away the dirt and grime without irritating his skin and feathers."   
"Then the injections?" Nosedive prompted.   
"Then the injections," Tanya nodded and Nosedive relaxed some more.   
"I'm just glad that you have a plan," he admitted, watching Tanya apply the cloth yet again.   
"Me too," she agreed, voice soft. "Me too."   
The two fell into silence as Tanya worked and Nosedive took back to comforting the unconscious boy, stroking the boy's hair. Even if the boy couldn't feel the constant motion, Nosedive couldn't just stand there and watch him suffer alone. Maybe the boy would somehow know, subconsciously, that he was safe.   
Finally, Tanya broke the silence, "Nosedive?"   
"Hmm?" Nosedive didn't look up from the boy.   
"I'm ready to cut the front of his shirt off now. You might want to look away." Tanya stated gently. "Even his front is in pretty bad shape."   
Nosedive's hand paused in its rhythmic motion for about a minute, but then it started up again. "No."   
Tanya blinked. "But-"   
"I said no," Nosedive replied evenly, shaking his head with a sigh before looking up with a determined expression on his face. "I want to be here for him. H-He's a kid, not a corpse. 'Wing said he needs love."   
Tanya smiled softly. "As long as you're sure."   
"I-I'm sure," Nosedive stated, then added quickly. "H-Hurry before I-I change my mind."   
She nodded in understanding and took up the scissors. Starting at the collar, she cut down the filthy cloth all the way past the boy's waist. Then she cut into the sleeves of the shirt, freeing the child from the last of the bond the cloth held on him. Now only the dried blood and scabs prevented her from removing it.   
Tanya placed down the scissors, glancing to Nosedive. "I'm going to remove his shirt now. Brace yourself."   
He nodded quietly, squeezing the child's hand a little tighter. Wildwing was right--the boy needed someone to care for him. Nosedive knew what it was like--what it was like to be alone and seperated from everyone that ever cared about you. But he and his brother had been reunited; the boy no longer had a family. He felt as if he owed it to the child to replace a small part of the family he had lost. And how could he help the child if didn't know what the child was up against?   
His thoughts drifted away as Tanya began to remove the cloth, gently peeling it off the boy's body. Nosedive caught sight of the first of many scars and paled, finding the sudden urge to run away and hide.   
_"You just got to believe and not give up."_   
Wildwing's words came to Nosedive and he forced himself to stay, reminded by them of what he had to do. If he ran away now, he would be giving up the chance of ever being able to help the boy. In order to prove himself to Wildwing, and to himself, Nosedive knew he had to stay.. He forced himself to take deep breaths, letting Wildwing's words ring through his head until they were deafening. After all, Nosedive told himself, the child's wounds would heal, but they would never go away. They would remain with him forever--just like Nosedive's own.   
"I-I'm going to stay with you," he whispered to the child, bringing up his other hand so he could grip the boy's hand with both of his. "I-I'm not . . not going to leave you a-alone. Y-You won't be alone a-anymore . . . ."   
With each new injury revealed, another struggle began. More and more, Nosedive found himself wishing his brother was with him. At the same time, however, he knew that he had to do this by himself. Wildwing wouldn't always be there for him, and, eventually, he would have to be strong on his own. So Nosedive kept on fighting and kept on overcoming his rising fear. He could do this, he promised himself again and again.   
Nosedive was surprised when Tanya grabbed the antibacterial wash, pouring some onto a cotton ball. She was done removing the front of his shirt already? He had been fighting against his fear too intensely to notice--he had only noticed each scar at a time, not the whole.   
Tanya applied the cotton ball to one of the scabs and, thankfully, the child did not react. He must have really hit his head hard if he wasn't feeling any pain. It was probably better that way.   
When Tanya got down to the front of the boy's waist, which she had kept covered, she turned to Nosedive with a concerned frown, "Nosedive, look away."   
Nosedive immediately protested, "But-"   
"-**Now.**" Tanya ordered. "The boy deserves some privacy."   
Nosedive sighed and did as he was told. Why would she . . . ? His eyes went wide and he froze, but he didn't look back.   
"H-He was . . . ?" he couldn't finish; the suggestion alone was too horrible.   
"Yes, he was," Tanya replied softly, continuing with her work, only stopping long enough to glance sadly at Nosedive's back.   
"Stars . . . " Nosedive shuddered; the child was lucky to be alive.   
But would he still have the will to survive, now that he was free?   
"Stay with us, Nosedive," Tanya leaned over and gently nuzzled Nosedive's cheek, whispering to him. "The child needs you here."   
"R-Right," Nosedive shuddered, coming back to himself, shaking softly.   
He closed his eyes, letting the feel of the child's hand remind him of what his duty was. Nosedive had to help the child--he couldn't run away.   
Tanya smiled softly, covering up the child's waist so Nosedive wouldn't see it when she was finished cleaning the area, "Nosedive? Do you want to help me wash his front now?"   
"I-I . . . " Nosedive's mind went blank.   
"If you are going to be his older brother, you'll have to know how to clean him without hurting him," she pointed out.   
Nosedive didn't reply and she sighed sadly, pulling him into another hug. Sometimes her mothering instincts got the better of her. However, she knew that Nosedive really needed Wildwing and not her. But his absence couldn't have been avoided, so she would have to make due. She turned Nosedive in her arms so that he was looking at her.   
"Nosedive, you can help him. You can make him better." Tanya stated firmly, her eyes locked with Nosedive's. "But it's your choice on what you do. Fight or flee."   
Flee? Nosedive blinked at the word. He still had the choice, he realized. But Wildwing never ran away from taking care of Nosedive, no matter how bad the teenager's nightmares had been. Without Wildwing, how could he have survived?   
_-I wouldn't have. I would have died a long time ago.-_   
Nosedive broke his eye contact with Tanya and looked to the child's broken body. Would he be able to survive without Nosedive's help? After all that had happened to him? Would he ever laugh again? Tanya was giving him the chance to still back out, even if the child died as a result . . . He probably would. And Nosedive knew he couldn't let the child die.   
Suddenly, Nosedive's mind was made up.   
He smiled weakly, turning back to regard Tanya, "Tell me what to do."   
Tanya got out a new cloth and soaked it in another small pot of water, placing a little shampoo into it and lathering it into the cloth. "Rub this gently over his chest, avoiding his scars. Be careful--his skin is very sensitive right now."   
Nosedive nodded in thanks after Tanya handed him the rag, and he gently began cleaning the boy's chest. As he cleaned the dirt and blood away, Nosedive saw the child take on a healthier look. More like a normal child. But the scars remained, and Nosedive found himself wishing he could clean them away too. If only a beautiful coat of down-feathers would suddenly sprout and take all the horrible malnourished feathers away . . . The child should be a healthy light yellowish color, not the weak pink of his skin. Tanya placed a hand on Nosedive's shoulder and he stopped long enough to flash her a brief smile.   
He finished cleaning the boy's chest when Wildwing and the others arrived.   
Wildwing smiled to Nosedive and Tanya, who looked up to him, "How is it going?"   
"We're about ready to start on his back, since I cleaned his arms and legs in the Migrator. Then, we'll bandage his wounds." Tanya explained. "He's a little more scarred than we first thought, but he should pull through."   
"He will pull through," Nosedive corrected and she smiled softly to him.   
Klegghorn wandered over to the child and let out an oath, "Good _God!_ What happened to him?!"   
"The Saurians happened," Wildwing replied gravely, setting down the toys on a free chair.   
"And his back is twice as bad, if not more so," Tanya added, and Nosedive squirmed nervously, looking to Wildwing with pleading eyes.   
Without hesitation, Wildwing walked over and put a hand on Nosedive's shoulder, glancing to the boy on the bio-bed in front of them. He winced softly at the sight. If his back was even worse than his front, Nosedive had good reason to want comfort.   
"Right here, baby bro'," Wildwing whispered, smiling softly when he felt Nosedive's muscles relax under his grip. "I'll stay with you."   
Nosedive leaned back gratefully into Wildwing's chest, letting out a sigh of relief.   
"I've never seen wounds like this!" Klegghorn shook his head in disbelief. "For Christ's sake, he's only a child . . . "   
"Which is why it's so important for us to take care of him," Nosedive stated, looking up to Wildwing with a smile.   
Wildwing smiled back, nuzzling his brother softly, "Exactly."   
Duke watched the entire scene from a distance. He still wasn't sure what to think of the child, and the horrible scars on his front certainly didn't help. And his back was supposed to be even worse? Unlike Nosedive and Wildwing, Duke didn't have anyone close enough to him to help him deal with his scars and what had happened in the camps. The child was also a lone, an orphan like the rest of them. Maybe . . . .   
He silently walked over to the others and reached out a shaking hand to stroke the duckling's hair. Marvelling at how soft the boy's hair was, despite the fact it hadn't been properly washed in months, Duke didn't notice the others turning their gazes towards him. A few minutes later, he finally did notice and blushed, looking away as he let his hand drop to his side.   
"I don't think he'll mind," Nosedive's quiet voice broke the awkward silence and Duke looked to him in surprise. "I was doing it for a while, myself."   
Duke chuckled softly and lifted his hand back up to the child's hair, "If you insist."   
"I need to roll him onto his uninjured side so I can clean his back." Tanya told the others. "Sorry, Nosedive, but I'll have to do the cleaning by myself."   
"Why can't I help?" Nosedive asked, confused and a little bit hurt.   
"His back's bad enough that I can't trust anyone without complete training to help me. And I'm afraid that none of you have certification in the care of ducklings, especially in this sense." Tanya explained and Nosedive sighed, giving in.   
Tanya gently turned the duckling onto his side, then began the work from the very beginning, treating the wounds even more carefully than before. Nosedive watched, remaining in his spot against Wildwing throughout the entire process of Tanya wetting the cloth cemented against the boy's back in his own blood. When she began removing it, there were oaths and curses abound at the sight of the first scar. The struggle within began once more for Nosedive.   
Wildwing wrapped his arms tightly around Nosedive half-way through and Nosedive pressed into his brother, forcing himself to keep his vigil at the boy's side by will alone. No words were spoken between the two brothers, nor their companions and the child. Wildwing understood that his brother was trying to be strong, also understanding that one could not always be strong alone.   
Dried blood clung to the boy's thin feathers and two enlarged scars stood out from the others ones that covered his back. Tanya sighed, making sure that the towel she had placed over the child's lap remained draped over his hip. Bending over to block the others' views, she removed the last of his shirt and cleaned off the back area the towel had covered, holding in her tears. She thought of what had happened to the boy, faced with the end result, and nearly broke. Only the presence of the others kept her sobs within her. It would only worry them and make Nosedive afraid.   
After she was done with that, she began the process of applying the antibacterial wash to the scabs, both old and all too recent, and gently cleaning the rest of his back with a new rag. She injected the synthetic antibodies into the two most infected scars before looking up to the others. Then, she dried both the boy's front and back gently with a cotton towel.   
Relief was obvious on Tanya's face as she whispered, "I'll need the bandages now."   
Duke offered them to her and she smiled her thanks, then gently rolled the boy onto his back once more, holding him up so that his scars didn't touch the sheets. Nosedive gave the child's hand a gentle squeeze and looked up to Wildwing, the two sharing weak smiles. Klegghorn visibly relaxed as well.   
"Duke, hold him by his shoulders. Wildwing, support his head." Tanya ordered quietly and the two ducks did as told, although Wildwing hesitated for a moment to leave his brother's side.   
Nosedive watched Tanya slowly bandage the child with utmost care and he smiled. Tanya would make sure that everything would turn out okay. They needn't worry about the child's physical recovery.   
Duke gently laid the boy onto his side as the bandaging was finished and let out a sigh. Now all the boy had to do was wake up. Then, they'd continue from there.   
"Klegghorn?" Tanya turned to the police captain. "The boy needs clothes and well, uh, because of the press that's most likely blocked the front entrance, we can't exactly go outside without being ambushed, even if we do, uh, managed to get past them. You're less likely to be ambushed because you're a police officer and they wouldn't want to be arrested . . . If I gave you the boy's measurements and some money, could you get him something to wear? Preferably soft clothes that wouldn't catch on bandages."   
He blinked, then nodded, "Of course."   
She wrote the information down on a nearby notepad and ripped off the top sheet, handing it to Klegghorn. Then, she fished into the hip-pack she still wore from the publicity stunt, pulling out a couple hundred dollars. Tanya handed that to him as well.   
Klegghorn pocketed both the piece of paper and the money before turning to glance at the duckling, his eyes softening, "I probably should go before there's even more of a crowd."   
"I'll lead you out," Duke offered, walking up to the man.   
He nodded his thanks and looked to Tanya one last time, "I'd like to be updated on the child's condition if there's any change."   
Tanya smiled softly, "Of course."   
Duke then lead Klegghorn out and Tanya sighed softly, letting her smile fall as she looked to the others, "Now what do we do?"   
"Whatever we can," Nosedive stated, smiling weakly. "And help him get better, right?"   
Wildwing chuckled softly, "First, however, we need to hold a meeting about the duckling. So everyone knows about him and we can figure out how to shift the watches."   
Opening his comm, Wildwing broadcasted among all the comms, sure that the others were up by now, "Everyone, please meet me in front of the Infirmary in fifteen minutes. We have an, uh, new situation."   


*End of Chapter Three* 

Author's End-Note: No alarm clocks were harmed in the making of this chapter. The alarm clock used was, in fact, a stunt double. Okay, so that was a little silly. But, then again, don't you expect that from me by now? =P 


	4. Awakening

A Casualty of War 

By Icelightning 

Chapter 4: Awakening   
  


Author's note: Well, not even 24 hours after the end of the last chapter, I begin this one. Hehe, you can thank the anime series "Now and Then, Here and There" for that. Wonderful series . . . Er, I'll do this note later. I'm going to start writing before I lose the will to. 

Author's second note: Wow, and this thing is finished a little over 48 hours after the first chapter! Success! =D I guess I really wanted Orenda to see it before she went away, so that kinda spurred me on. This chapter is not nearly as long as the last chapter, thank goodness. Back to the normal chapter size for this fanfic, it seems. The next chapter should be around this size, too. I wonder how long before that one's done . . . I've been waiting to get to these scenes for a long time, which is why wrote this chapter so fast. Especially the last scene--I had a ton of different versions to it, and then this one came out. It's slightly different than I thought it would be, but it works well, and so I don't mind that much. At either rate, now that I've finished this chapter, I should probably work on my website some more. Like getting screen captures and the like. Well, if I can get screen captures with my graphics card. Then again, my parents want to make me do scholarships. *Sighs* We'll have to see, though. 

Author's third note: Even though I finished this 48 hours after the last chapter, I delayed releasing this one because I wanted to get everyone a chance to be on the same page... I didn't want anyone to have to deal with 17 new pages of text at once. So I gave people a chance to read chapter three first before I put this one on the internet. The only exception to this was Orenda, because she's my beta-reader for this fanfic and I really wanted it beta-read before she left. =P Thanks Orenda! And thanks to Lily C. again, for helping me out with Cammy's reactions and medical condition! (Of course, she helped me a really long time ago, so she probably doesn't remember the conversation. Or maybe she does. Lol.) At any rate, let's end these long author notes and get on to the fanfic! Enjoy!   
  


"What's all this about, Wildwing?" Mallory was the first to arrive and Wildwing looked over to her.   
"I'll explain as soon as Grin gets here and Duke comes back from leading Klegghorn out," Wildwing answered and Mallory sucked in an angry breath.   
"What?? Klegghorn was here?" her frown grew worse and Wildwing frowned back at her.   
"He wasn't here to accuse us of anything. In fact, we owe him our thanks." Wildwing sighed, shaking his head. "He's still helping us, even."   
Mallory blinked in confusion and Wildwing smiled softly to her, "I'll explain it in a few."   
"You'd better," she gave him a suspicious look, crossing her arms impatiently.   
Wildwing regarded her and barely suppressed a chuckle at Mallory's expression. She glared at him and he looked away, hoping that the others would be there shortly. Mallory wasn't the waiting type.   


Duke stopped in front of the hidden exit and Klegghorn smiled slightly, causing his companion to blink, "What is it?"   
"Ah, nothing--just thinking of a memory," Klegghorn shook his head. "At least I'm not getting locked out this time."   
"Ack, don't remind me. That was embarrassing." Duke winced, punching in the code.   
"You and me both," Klegghorn replied as the door opened with a hiss. "I'll be back as soon as possible. Hopefully I will be able to time it before the kid wakes up. He'll probably appreciate a full set of clothing on him."   
Duke nodded in response, remaining silent. His thoughts were already drifting back to the boy and he sighed, shaking his head sadly. Klegghorn nodded quietly in understanding.   
"Don't worry, I know the way from here.. See you." Klegghorn left immediately afterwards, knowing he wouldn't get a responsive from the meditative Duke.   
The mallard sighed as he watched Klegghorn walk away, closing the door as soon as the police captain was out of sight. He turned around and started walking back, wondering how everything seemed to change so fast. Now that there was a child in the Pond, they'd have to work around him. All six of them couldn't go on a mission, anymore. At least, not until Phil could be trusted with the child. _If_ Phil could ever be trusted. The horrors he could wreck to that poor child's mind . . . .   
Duke shook his head at that thought, then focused his mind back onto what Wildwing was obviously going to tell the others, wondering how they would take the news. The idea of Mallory taking care of the kid brought a smile to his face. That would be a sight to see.   


Wildwing smiled to Grin when his teammate came into view, "Well, all we have to do is wait for Duke."   
"What about Nosedive and Tanya?" Mallory asked. "Aren't they coming too?"   
"They're already in the Infirmary. They're well aware of the situation. Duke already knows as well, but I'd like it if he was here to help explain it with me." Wildwing replied and Mallory muttered.   
"He'd better get here fast, then," Mallory frowned. "I don't like waiting."   
"We all know that, sweetheart," Duke stated, walking up to the others, grinning to Mallory as she fixed a glare at him.   
Wildwing rolled his eyes. "Knock it off you two. The reason why I called you all here is because we have a new situat-"   
"-Just cut to the chase," Mallory growled impatiently.   
Wildwing sighed and shook his head, "Okay, then. We have a duckling in the Pond. One of_ ours._"   
Mallory's beak dropped open and she stared at Wildwing, all impatience quickly forgotten, "A-Are you s-serious . . ?"   
"I'm quite serious. He was . . . very weak, so we immediately took him into the Infirmary after Klegghorn found him," Wildwing sighed softly, then continued. "He was in pretty bad shape."   
"Is the little one better now?" Grin asked, concern, and shock, expressed on his face.   
"And what's his name? How old is he?" Mallory added quickly, dropping her hands to her sides.   
"For the most part, he is," Wildwing answered Grin's question first, "Although . . . He hit his head on the way down from the dimensional gateway and got a concussion. He'll be out the rest of the night, so we don't know his name yet. Tanya says he's about five or six years old, however. We did, uhm, nearly lose him, however . . . "   
"L-Lost him?" Mallory's eyes widened. "How?!"   
"Blood loss," Wildwing answered shortly. "Nosedive's blood type matched and we were able to give him enough real blood that Tanya could supplement it with synthetics."   
"A-Anything else?" Mallory asked softly, knowing that Wildwing was holding something back.   
"He has scars--claw marks," Duke spoke up, and Mallory turned her wide eyes to him. "They're pretty bad. He's goin' ta take some time ta recover."   
Her surprise quickly turned to answer and she growled, clutching her fists, "Those bastards! I'll-"   
"-Help us take care of him," Wildwing interrupted her beginning tirade. "He's going to need love and care. _Not_ anger. Is that clear?"   
"S-Sorry Wildwing, i-it's just that . . . " She shook her head angrily, gritting her teeth. "He's only a kid!"   
"Well, then be angry somewhere else, but not near him. You could scare him if he sees you angry." Wildwing stated and Mallory sighed, finally giving in, relaxing her fists. "That's better."   
Grin placed a hand on her shoulder, "You can help him more with love than with hate. The Saurians that did this are out of our reach. He, however, is now within our reach. It is our duty to help him in every way possible."   
Mallory nodded softly, humbled, "R-Right."   
"May we see the little one?" Grin asked and Wildwing nodded quietly, pushing the button to open the infirmary doors.   
Tanya and Nosedive looked up as the others entered, Nosedive smiling weakly to Wildwing, "Hey, big bro'."   
Mallory and Grin walked up to the child, but most of the damage was hidden by the bandages, so they could only guess at the extent of his injuries. Tanya waited until Duke and Wildwing had joined them before speaking.   
"There is more that you need to know. The child was raped--more than once." only Nosedive didn't show surprise; he knew from before.   
The rest, however . . . .   
"S-Stars, w-what didn't happen to him??" Wildwing asked in alarm, new to the information. "It sounds like they did everything to him!"   
"Besides the claw marks and the . . " Tanya shook her head sadly, trailing off for a moment before continuing, "he wasn't tortured physically in any other fashion. Although he's malnourished, he's not dehydrated. They at least gave him enough water to live on, mostly likely because they were afraid he'd die too fast if they didn't."   
Mallory forced back the oath on the tip of her tongue and took a deep breath, controlling her anger. She couldn't risk scaring the child, even if he was unconscious. Loud enough noises could possibly wake him up and if she started, she knew she would never stop until it was too late. It was better to let him rest and recover.   
"Poor kid, he looks like hell," Mallory shook her head, sighing softly. "Are you sure he'll make it?"   
"Physically, yes," Tanya replied. "Mentally? That remains to be seen."   
"Through our strength, he shall grow stronger," Grin stated quietly and Nosedive cracked a tiny smile.   
"Yeah, that's the plan," Nosedive looked up to Wildwing, " . . . Isn't it?"   
Wildwing chuckled softly, nodding. "Of course."   
"He looks like such a gentle child," Mallory commented, reaching up a hand to stroke the boy's hair. "I wonder what his name is . . . "   
"We should know tomorrow, if all goes well," Tanya smiled softly to her teammate; even Mallory couldn't help but care for the child, and that was a good sign. "All we can do now is wait for Klegghorn to get back with the clothes I've asked him for. That way, the child can wake up without feeling so threatened."   
The others agreed and began to discuss the shifts they would take in watching the child during the night.   


A couple of hours later, Klegghorn commed the others, asking for someone to lead him back to the Infirmary. Duke volunteered and returned shortly with Klegghorn, splitting a number of shopping bags between the two of them. The others curiously watched them as they put the bags down on a nearby bio-bed, wondering what the police officer had bought to clothe the boy.   
"You can look through the other items later, but I thought this would be appropriate for him to wear," Klegghorn stated, rooting in one of his bags. "Since he's going to be living with you and all . . . Ah, here it is."   
He pulled out a pair of silkish pyjamas and Nosedive let out a snort of laughter as the others chuckled.   
Duke shook his head, chuckling, "Cute, Klegghorn, cute. But did you really have to get him a set of pjs with our logo on it?"   
Klegghorn smirked and handed them to Tanya, as well as a pair of underwear. "I've already washed them, so feel free to put them on him."   
"Thanks," Tanya nodded to him, then looked to everyone. "Turn around so I can dress him. Even though he's unconscious, he probably would want some privacy when I put on his underwear."   
The others didn't argue with her point and a minute later, she told them it was okay for them to look back. She had also, in that amount of time, transfered the boy over from being on a bio-bed to being on a medical cot she had devised not too long ago. It didn't have as many instruments as the bio-beds did, but it was more comfortable for the child. They would be constantly monitoring the boy, so the lesser amount of equipment didn't pose too much of a problem; at the worst, they would just transfer him back onto a bio-bed to get a more detailed reading.   
The others didn't complain, silently agreeing with Tanya's decision, and Tanya called over the youngest of her fellow teammates. Delicately, Nosedive helped Tanya put the rest of the clothes on the child, before they laid the child back down on his side. The clothing seemed to make him look even smaller than he already was, hanging loosely in many places.   
"He'll grow into them as he gains his weight back, which I'll have to monitor carefully," Tanya stated, noticing the softened look in her companions' eyes.   
"There's one thing missing," Mallory half-frowned in puzzlement; something wasn't right.   
Klegghorn went searching in the bags again at Mallory's comment and pulled out a purple plush kitten. He straightened up and walked over to the others, gently placing it inbetween the child's arms. A small smile crossed his face when the boy unconsciously wrapped his arms a little tighter around the stuffed animal.   
"Much better," Duke smiled in approval. "Now he doesn't look so lost anymore."   
Tanya tucked a blanket around the boy, putting his head on a pillow, "And he'll walk up feeling safe for a change. Or at least, I hope he will."   
Wildwing sighed, "I just wish we could make things . . . more like home."   
"Well, while he's sleeping, I'm going to reprogram some of the toys that play music," Tanya stated, smiling slyly. "I have some music from Puckworld I brought with me, a number of them everyday children's songs, ones that any child would know. I'll program the melodies from those songs into the toys so that they play them instead of human children songs."   
"Sounds good. What else?" Wildwing prompted.   
Tanya sighed, "I'm afraid there's not much else I can do to remind him of Puckworld. Even if I could do more, anything more might make him sad. We don't want to remind him too much of the past. We'll have a crying duckling on our hands if we overdo it. We want to avoid antagonizing him in any way, shape, or form. That means anyone with him will have to move slowly and talk quietly, constantly reassuring him. And absolutely _no_ yelling. That'll quickly throw him into fear mode and it might be hard to get him to trust any of us, then."   
"Anything else we should do?" Mallory questioned and Tanya nodded.   
"Maybe it's best if Grin doesn't come around him for a while and possibly Wildwing too," Tanya added gently and Wildwing looked at her in confusion.   
"Why?" Wildwing looked to Tanya in worry. "Why me and Grin?"   
"Our size," Grin explained simply, as if it was obvious. "We're big and he is not. We could easily overpower him and do what we please with him."   
"But we wouldn't!" Wildwing's eyes went wide.   
"That matters not. He sees us as big in his eyes. And big people are threats." Grin stated grimly and Wildwing sighed, nodding.   
"Poor kid, but Grin's got a point. You don't mind taking care of him without me for a little while, do you, baby bro'?" Wildwing asked, glancing to his brother.   
Nosedive shook his head, stroking the boy's hair. "Tanya'll take care of me. And once he trusts me, he'll learn how to trust you very quickly. I mean, you're my big brother and all, aren't you?"   
Wildwing smiled, "I am? I didn't know . . . "   
The reply from Nosedive came as a towel promptly thrown into Wildwing's face.   
  
  
It was Tanya's shift when the boy finally awoke. She was stroking his hair softly when he flinched and turned his head, squeezing his eyes tightly against the overhead lights, which had been previously dimmed down. Tanya turned them down just a little bit more and continued stroking the child's hair.   
She smiled softly as the child pressed into her hand and she chuckled softly.   
The child froze at the sound of the chuckle, peeping softly in fear, and Tanya stiffened in response to his. Shushing him quietly, she went back to gently stroking his hair. His eyes flashed open in alarm and he fixed his eyes on her, but she continued her movement.   
He didn't move, watching Tanya silently with his pale blue eyes, not sure what to make of her. She continued her slow, gentle movement, afraid that she might scare the child if she looked directly at him. Slowly, however, he began to shake and started to peep in fear. Even a gentle smoothing down of his hair was too much for him.   
Tanya sighed softly, bringing her movement to a stop. The child immediately took it as an opportunity to scoot away from her, clutching his stuffed animal close. She sighed, stood up, pretending to ignore the child's loud peep of distress, and gently walked away to the other side of the room. He wasn't quite ready to deal with her yet and Tanya respected that. She decided to let him observe her a while before trying to approach him again. That would give him the chance to realize that she wouldn't harm him.   
She walked over to the music-stick player she had brought from Puckworld, pushing small metal slivers into each slot. Each sliver was a little bit thicker than a human's finger nail and about wide and as long as half a human child's littlest finger, but were practically unbreakable and resistant to extreme heat and cold. Every one of the slivers contained a different song and the player was able to hold about five hundred of them in total. The slots were open on both sides except on the far ends of the rows, allowing for a single music-stick to be up to one-hundred songs thick, although Tanya had none of these, and so none were included. Tanya smiled softly as she slid the last music-stick into its slot and turned it on. It began to play from slot one and a gentle, soothing song began to waffer through the air, sung by a motherly voice. It was her favorite when she was a little duckling, so it was only fitting that she played it first now.   
As the music began to play, the boy let out an silent, nearly inaudiable gasp. She smiled at that--he recognized the song. Now if only he would recognize that she intended him no harm.   
Tanya began to sing softly in unison with the song, working on one of the toys she was modifying. She listened for more movement as she worked, not really attempting to look anymore than busy. All was quiet except for her singing and the music coming from the music-stick player. And so it continued until about the tenth song.   
Another sound drifted through the air--the soft, gentle sound of crying. Tanya's eyes softened, but she continued to pretend to work, until the crying grew much louder and peeps entered the mix. She stopped singing and closed her eyes, listening to the child as she debated with herself on what to do. Eventually the heart-broken, tired sobs of the boy became too much for her to bear and she stood up again, walking gently back over to him.   
He had curled up in himself, clutching his new plush toy close. His body shook with his sobs, but not with fear. He had realized, but he didn't dare hope. The child knew he was free at long last. But he couldn't understand how or why. Tears drew wet streaks across his face as he squeezed his eyes closed, and Tanya sat down next to him, letting him cry for a little longer before she reached over to him.   
The duckling looked up to her when she started to stroke his hair up again, letting his sobs slowly die away until he was only peeping silently. She smiled to him lovingly, turning her hand to gently wipe away his tears with the back of her index finger. He began to shy away, but then thought better of it and let her do as she wished. His eyes looked up into her, silently pleading with her.   
"You're free," Tanya whispered quietly, answering his unspoken question. "You're safe now."   
He stared at her in disbelief, and she smiled softly, cupping his cheek in her hand; her smile widened when he leaned into her touch, and she repeated her words, "You're free. You're safe. Don't worry, little one."   
The boy didn't move from his position and he looked up at her, eyes still wide in surprise. He stared at her for a minute, maybe two, perfectly still and motionless. She began to grow worried and her eyes softened even more.   
A deep-throated sob was all the warning Tanya had before the duckling exploded into action, jumping up and wrapping his arms around her waist tightly. He then buried his face into her lap and began to cry softly, too tired to cry as hard as before. She let out a gasp of surprise, although her eyes quickly took on their gentle gaze once more.   
Tanya stroked his hair gently, making sure not to aggravate his injuries any further as she shifted her position slightly to make them both more comfortable. His grip, weak from lack of muscle, relaxed over time as the gentle sobs died away. He looked up to her once more and she smiled to him.   
"I'll hold you if you want me to," Tanya gently whispered, still stroking his hair. "But be careful; you're very injured, and I don't want you to hurt yourself worse."   
The child nodded quietly and grabbed his stuffed kitten by one of its forelegs, gently clambering onto Tanya's lap, letting his legs dangle off the edge of her lap as he got comfortable. He settled down after a minute and rested his head against her chest, snuggling into her softly. Smiling even more, Tanya gently wrapped her arms around the child as he wrapped his arms around his stuffed animal.   
Together, the two of them sat unmoving from their spot for many minutes, neither daring to speak, as if they were afraid the moment would be shattered, and it would be revealed to be nothing more than a dream. The child shifted in Tanya's arms after a while, going still once more after he got more comfortable. She decided to break the silence.   
"I-I'm Tanya Vanderflock, but you can call me Taunny if you wish. What's your name?" She smiled softly down to him and he looked up to her in surprise.   
"I'm C..Camden G-Glosshart," the boy replied, still looking up to her, "B-But I l-like b-being called C..Cammy.."   
Tanya blinked, then smiled, nuzzling his beak tenderly with her own, "Then Cammy it is."   
-_Glosshart? He's Commander Glosshart's son? I didn't know he had a child this little._- Tanya shook her head; she'd worry about it later when she relayed the information to Wildwing.   
Camden looked down quickly to his stomach, then up to Tanya again, "Taunny?"   
"Was is it, honey?" Tanya asked, nuzzling the duckling's beak once more.   
"I'm hungry," his eyes grew pleading again. "C-Can I..I have s-something to eat?"   
Her eyes softened and she nodded gently, "Of course you can have something to eat."   
Tanya gently lifted the boy off her lap and placed him down onto the bed. Standing up, she stroked his cheek gently. Smiling, she walked over to the counter, grabbing a small container of pre-mixed newborn duckling food from out of the newly installed countertop fridge. Tanya had prepared for everything at the start of the mission, to the best of her ability, trying to make sure they were ready for any situation they would find in the Master Tower. One such situation was the finding of orphan newborn ducklings--they were considered a delicacy among certain groups of Saurians. Their mother's milk was supplimented by semi-solids right from the start, and if their mother died, the father or remaining relatives would turn to relying on semi-solids and formula.   
She had no use for the formula, so she kept it in its dry state. However, she knew that Camden would be able to keep down the food and so she had prepared some. If he wasn't able to keep even that down, there was little chance of him surviving at all. But he was hungry and that was a good sign, a very good sign.   
Tanya stuck the food in the microwave, heating it up on a little before pulling it out again. Filling a glass of water and grabbing two syringes, she walked back over to Camden's side and sat down next to him. She couldn't help but notice how eagerly he watched her. Ah, he really was hungry.   
"How about if you just sit here and I feed you?" Tanya smiled gently to the boy. "That way, you can save your energy in getting better."   
"A-Am I going to g..get better . . ?" Camden asked, looking up to her with hope in his eyes.   
The sight of renewed hope in the child brought tears to Tanya's eyes, but she withheld them, "Yes, you will, Cammy. That's why you gotta eat."   
"S-Syringes?" Camden blinked, attention diverted, looking to the device in Tanya's hand. "But I'm n-not a n..newborn . . . "   
"But you're weak and this is the easiest way. You'll only have to swallow," she explained, hiding her surprise that he knew its name, "And you'll have to eat newborn food for a little while until your stomach gets better. Now open up."   
"O-Okay," Camden obediently opened his beak and Tanya filled the first syringe with water, slowly emptying it until it was empty.   
She did the same with a small bite of food, using the other syringe. And so the process went on, until all of the food and water were spent. Camden looked to the glass and container in shock when he realized they were empty.   
"B-But I-I'm s..still hungry!" he looked up to Tanya, eyes shining with tears. "W-Why d..did you stop..?"   
"You're stomach's weak, sweety," Tanya's eyes softened and she tried hard not to give into him. "If I fed you more, you'd get sick . . . "   
"I-I d..don't w-want to g..get sick," Camden's voice dropped to a whisper and Tanya started to stroke his hair.   
"I know you don't," Tanya reassured him. "So you should lay down and get some sleep. You're going to be sleepy soon because you've eaten."   
"B-But-" Camden hesitated, then clung to Tanya, starting to shake. "I-I d..don't wanna g-go back to s-sleep!"   
Tanya sighed, her eyes saddening, "Cammy-"   
"Y-You'll d-disappear!" he exclaimed fearfully, clinging to her tightly. "I-I d..don't wanna l-lose you!"   
"I promise I won't disappear," Tanya replied soothingly, stroking his hair some more. "I'm going to stay with you. If you lay down, I'll lay down next to you. That way, you'll wake up if I move away. Is that okay with you?"   
Camden thought for a moment, then nodded softly, "Y-Yeah . . . Can y-you keep the m..music on? I-I like it . . . "   
"Okay," Tanya smiled in relief, "I'll go tend these dishes. You just get all nice and comfortable, okay?"   
He nodded again and slowly let go of her, watching her intently as she walked over to the counter and deposited the dishes on it. The duckling wasn't going to let her out of his sight. Camden had already lost too many people and he wasn't losing another.   
She smiled to him as she turned around and walked back to his side, "You haven't laid down yet."   
He watched her for a moment, then laid down slowly, wrapping his arms around his plush toy once more. After he made room for Tanya, she laid down next to him and gave him a warm smile, gently wrapping an arm around his hip as not to hurt him. Camden watched Tanya for a few minutes, before deciding that she'd keep her promise. The child yawned softly, then slowly closed his eyes, settling down next to Tanya, snuggled up against her.   
She listened softly as his breaths evened out and he fell into slumber once more. Tanya couldn't help but smile. Not only had she managed to gain his trust, but she had managed to give him food and water as well. And now Camden was getting more of the sleep he sorely needed. A good start for only just waking for the first time.   
Those hurdles were passed, bringing them to more tricky ones. She'd have to introduce him to the others and teach him how to be happy once more. And, once he was recovered on sleep, he'd most likely start having terrible nightmares. How were they going to deal with those? This was only the first leg of Cammy's journey back to health and well-being.   
Tanya nuzzled Camden's forehead softly and closed her eyes, resting her head on his pillow as well. She was relieved by the knowledge that he still had the will to survive. Perhaps his innocence gave him a shield of protection that kept him from understanding the terrible things that had happened to him. Maybe, if he had been older, he wouldn't have survived.   
But here he was, snuggled up against her. He was safe and sound . . . And he knew it. He knew that he would be okay and that she would take care of him. Camden trusted her. Tanya found that thought comforting. After all he had been through, he could still trust. He indeed really was a fighter. A little champion in his own right. Because he had won against the Saurians, just like Nosedive, Wildwing, and Duke. Especially like Nosedive, the youngest Mighty Duck being the closest in age.   
She found her thoughts drifting off, but she didn't fight it. The entire night had been sleepless for her, although she pretended to get rest. Worry had kept her awake, had kept her from seeking the solace of sleep. Only she truly understood what he had been through, or at least, she understood it better than the others. And because she had treated so many of his wounds, she had felt responsible for his welfare. If he had died . . . .   
No, she wouldn't think about that. Tanya sighed softly, pulling Camden a little closer. Sleep came to her quickly, now that she at least knew that the child survived the journey to Earth. And she would make sure that he'd survive the recovery.   
Promising herself this, Tanya let herself succumb to sleep, falling into bittersweet dreams.   


*End of Chapter Four*   



	5. Bonding

A Casualty of War 

By Icelightning 

Chapter 5: Bonding   
  


Author's Note: Wow, I can't believe it! I've got another chapter done... Seems like doing the chapters during study hall is working for me. Oh, I forgot to attribute an idea to Lily--she came up with the idea of Klegghorn taking the toys to the Mighty Ducks. Oh, and to Orenda, who had to suffer through the horrible mess I made when I typed this up from notebook paper... Get out the next chapter of your story, girl! 

Author's Second Note: Uhm? Why do I have a second note? *Confusion*   
  


Tanya awoke to the soft sound of music. Blinking away the urge to sleep, she looked around the Infirmary. The containers and utensils that Tanya had used earlier in feeding Camden had been replaced with clean ones. That was probably Duke's doing, she reasoned, because his shift would have been after hers. Glancing at the clock, she was surprised by how much time had passed since she fell asleep and that they were still alone. Then again, it was obvious she had managed to gain the trust of the boy by how they were sleeping together. Duke and the others wouldn't have risked waking up or scaring the boy because he might then lose his trust in Tanya.   
A small movement next to her brought her gaze down to her side, and she smiled softly. Camden was still sleeping, curled up peacefully in her arms. There was a hint of a smile on his sleeping face that gave Tanya hope. As long as he could smile, there was a chance they could help his mind and heart heal.   
She started to stroke the duckling's hair as she thought about what to do after he woke up--which would be soon, judging by his movements. Most likely, he wouldn't be interested in food again just yet. He would instead need something peaceful to do, like the small electronic piano Tanya was going to later reprogram to play children songs he would recognize. It would do in its unaltered state for now. But first, she'd have to get him to go to the bathroom. His bladder would most likely be full after the small meal he had eaten earlier. And she'd have to give him some painkiller, even though she'd simply inject them into his IV.   
Time passed. Camden stirred in Tanya's arms, pressing into her and whimpering softly in pain. The painkillers, the ones Tanya had given him after he had returned to normal during the first night at the Pond, had worn off. Tanya nuzzled his forehead gently, and he opened his eyes to look up at her in surprise.   
"Morning, Cammy," Tanya smiled gently to the boy. "Did you sleep well?"   
His eyes widened in disbelief and she smiled wider, "I'm still here and I'm going to take care of you, just like I promised."   
Camden said nothing, but a small grin brightened his face, making his eyes twinkle happily. His first smile in so many months brought tears to Tanya's eyes. She smoothed down his long hair and nuzzled his beak tenderly with her own. Tanya was surprised when Camden quickly returned it.   
"M-Morning," Camden replied softly before yawning. "I-I g..gotta go..."   
Tanya chuckled, unfastening the IV from its tubes and bags filled with fluids. The needle and its accompanying attachment system, that was taped down to prevent the needle from moving or falling out completely, remained in his hand. The tubes closed up without their respective matching components in the attachment system to keep them open. Tanya was surprised that the humans had yet to figure out such a device, especially since it made transporting patients and removing medicines easier. In this case, it was especially convenient, considering that Cammy was a child. She didn't have to risk Camden accidentally pulling out the IV if he were to trip and fall. Or her, more likely, because she'd probably be carrying him.   
It was then that she realized that she had slept with her glasses on. She could have kicked herself. At least they weren't smeared... Tanya turned her thoughts back to the present.   
"Okay, do you want me to carry you over?" Tanya asked, gently sitting up.   
Camden sat up as well and nodded to Tanya. She carefully picked him up, standing slowly as she found her balance with the extra weight in her arms. Holding him gently as to not hurt him, Tanya walked over to the Infirmary's bathroom, turning on the light inside.   
"It's a bit different here," Tanya admitted at Camden's look of surprise and she pointed. "That's a toilet. I know it's a bit big for you, but I'll keep you from falling in."   
It took a while, but eventually Tanya was able to convince Camden that it was safe to use and it wasn't going to eat him. She had to console during the entire process, as it was painful... But soon all of that was over and she cleaned him up and showed him how to wash his hands. Oh, if only it were all automatic like it was on Puckworld... The poor child got quite a shock when he pulled the toilet handle and screamed, clinging to Tanya. She was forced to carry him out of the bathroom, calming him down on the way out and shutting off the lights behind her.   
"Want me to give you something to take away the pain?" Tanya asked as she carried the boy back to the bed, setting him down on it.   
"P-Please?" Camden begged quietly and Tanya gave him a reassuring smile.   
She grabbed a sterile needle and filled it with clear liquid from a nearby bottle. Tanya kept her back to Camden and only when she turned around with the needle in hand, did Camden whimper in fear. She shook her head quickly.   
"No, no, Cammy... I'm not going to give you a shot," Tanya stated, then explained further. "I'm going to inject this into your IV, so it won't hurt you."   
Camden relaxed, surprising Tanya that he knew what she meant, "Uh... There you go; there's nothing to be afraid of..."   
He smiled up to her as she gave him the painkillers, realizing that she was telling him the truth. She then helped him remove his new shirt so she could change the bandages on his wounds. He looked down at himself curiously.   
"I-I'm clean!" he exclaimed in surprised and Tanya laughed.   
"Of course you are! Your body has to be clean if you're to get any better... And your wounds are indeed looking better!" Tanya told him cheerfully. "You're going to heal up quite nicely."   
"I-I am?" Camden asked tentatively.   
"Yep!" Tanya nuzzled him again, then began to apply some more disinfectant. Luckily, the painkillers were already working and he didn't feel any pain from it, although he watched in awe as the liquid bubbled. She had to admit, it was different than Puckworld--she had run out of most of the medical supplies from Puckworld and now only had the machines and some other choice items left. When she finished, Tanya wrapped him up in new bandages.   
Camden put on his shirt with a little help from her and smiled up to Tanya, "T-Thanks!"   
"You're welcome," Tanya chuckled softly. "Do you want something to eat?"   
Receiving a shake of the head, Tanya smiled again--this time, a little mischievously, "Do you want to play? I've got a cool new toy you can play with!"   
Camden blinked, then nodded enthusiastically, causing Tanya to laugh, "Okay, okay... Stay here and I'll go get it!"   
"Okay!" Camden chirped happily, sitting impatiently as Tanya went over to the counter to grab the toy piano.   
"This is a piano," Tanya showed Camden the toy as she walked back over to him. Sitting down, she pulled Camden onto her lap and placed the piano gently down on his. Tanya paused, then added as an afterthought, "Although it's only a toy one. Real pianos are much bigger."   
"W-What d..does it do..?" Camden asked, regarding the plaything with interest.   
"It plays music," Tanya answered, then pointed to one of the keys. "Press one of the white bars there and you'll see."   
Camden blinked, pressing down a key on the piano. He gasped quietly when it produced a sound, quickly pulling his hand away.   
"Go ahead," Tanya urged him. "It won't hurt you."   
Turning back to the piano, the duckling prodded the key again with the tip of his finger, jumping in surprise when it sounded again. Confident that the key wouldn't hurt him, he hit it a few more times before he grew bored of it. His curiosity turned to another key and his finger trailed to it.   
Tanya smiled at his renewed astonishment when the new key made a different sound. Such a simple little toy would keep his mind occupied for a while. For a short time, he could forget the violence that was done to him.   
"You can string the sounds together like this and make a song," her fingers created a random melody. "Now you try! Make a song of your very own."   
Camden reached over to the piano again, letting his fingers dance shyly on the keyboard. He continued playing notes in his random way, concentrating on the music. The duckling only stopped when he hit two keys at the same time.   
"I-It played b..both!" he exclaimed, looking up to Tanya. "It played both, Taunny, it played both!"   
"It sure did, d-didn't it?" Tanya leaned over to nuzzle the boy's cheek, overwhelmingly happy that Camden had remembered her nickname. "And it will keep on playing the sound if you hold a bar down!"   
Camden tried this and then smiled, looking up to Tanya once again, "I-It did!"   
"I-I'll make you a b-better song n..now!" he sat up proudly, much more confident than before, and he started to play again.   
Tanya smiled at his simple affection, closing her eyes as she listened to the random notes. It wasn't the best music she had ever heard, but it warmed her heart. The piano made Camden happy. That was all that mattered.   
The door quietly hissed open as Nosedive walked into the Infirmary, having been sent by the others to check up on Tanya and Camden. The music coming from the piano stopped abruptly and the duckling gasped. In a flurry of movement, Camden turned around and clinged to Tanya, burying himself in her arms. Disturbed by his sudden movements, the toy piano fell onto the floor with a bang.   
Tanya's eyes softened as she began to comfort the child in her arms, "Shh, it's okay... It's only a team-mate of mine that wants to help you..."   
"..." Camden didn't reply and Nosedive, feeling a little embarrassed that he scared the child, walked up to him.   
"Err... Sorry. Didn't mean to scare him like that." Nosedive flinched as the child pressed deeper into Tanya. "I-Is he okay?"   
"You just startled him, that's all," Tanya gave Nosedive a reassuring smile. "He'll be just fine."   
"Good," Nosedive sighed in relief, kneeling down to pick up the piano. "You don't have to be scared of me, buddy, I-I won't hurt you."   
Camden turned just far enough to see Nosedive with one eyes, which prompted Nosedive to hold up the piano to him, "Here, I think you dropped this."   
The duckling hesitated, turning back around to lean his back against Tanya's chest, cautiously taking the toy from Nosedive. "T-Thanks..."   
"You're welcome," Nosedive replied with a smile, assuming a cross-legged position on the floor. "My name's Nosedive, but you can call me 'Dive since it's easier. And you are...?"   
"C-Cammy," he responded to Nosedive's prompt, pressing his back a little more into Tanya before going silent.   
Nosedive's smile fell for a second but quickly returned in full force, "Hey, I heard you playing that piano and you're really good! Could you play some more?"   
Camden nodded and started to nervously play again as Tanya and Nosedive listened. Tanya sent Nosedive a grateful smile and he nodded cheerfully in return. The music continued for a while, until Camden stopped and looked down at Nosedive.   
"Was t-that g..good...?" he asked quietly and Nosedive nodded.   
"It was really great, Cammy!" Nosedive stated and Camden grinned to him.   
"Really?" Camden relaxed.   
"Really really!" Nosedive answered, then grinned a little wider. "Hey, watch this!"   
He reached up and slid his hand from one end of the keys to the other. Camden let out a giggle, then repeated Nosedive's movement. The teenager then slid his hand down the keys in the opposite direction and Camden quickly followed, smiling more. Camden started giggling.   
"You're s-silly!" Camden declared.   
Nosedive gave him an innocent look, "Who, me?"   
Camden nodded and erupted into a small bout of giggled as Tanya smirked, "Nosedive's so silly that he always wears his skates on the wrong feet!"   
"I do not!" Nosedive protested, causing Camden to giggle more.   
"You do so," Tanya replied with a twinkle in her eye, Camden nodding in agreement.   
"Tauuuuuunnnny!" Nosedive's whined and Camden's giggles peaked.   
"Don't call me Taunny!" she replied in mock annoyance.   
Camden looked up to her in confusion, "B-But you l-let m..me..."   
"That's because you're special!" Tanya laughed.   
The duckling looked at Nosedive again, "Did you hear t-that? I'm special!"   
Nosedive stuck out his tongue at the boy before he could stop himself. However, this only served to amuse Camden more and he giggled even worse. When he had calmed down a little, he returned the favor, sticking his tongue back out at Nosedive.   
Tanya rolled her eyes, "Boys."   
Nosedive laughed and Camden giggled at her.   
"Face it, Taun! You're just jealous because you're a girl!" Nosedive smirked.   
Camden nodded in agreement, "Yeah!"   
"I am not!" Tanya stated, amusement in her voice, and Camden began giggling again.   
The verbal banter kept up for a good fifteen minutes until Camden had giggled himself out of energy. He laid his head on Tanya sleepily, and Tanya let her mock insult trail off. She smiled down to him, hugging him softly.   
"Tired?" Tanya asked gently and Camden nodded quietly, stifling a yawn. "Okay, I'll put you back to bed..."   
He clambered off her lap and got under the covers, hugging his plush kitten close. He snuggled down some more, laying his head onto the pillow. Finally comfortable, he closed his eyes and let his body relax.   
"See you later," Tanya nuzzled the boy, quickly tucking him in as he drifted off to sleep.   
"Cute kid," Nosedive sighed, smiling softly as Tanya hooked the IV back up. "Good thing he still knows how to be happy."   
"Yeah," Tanya nodded, voice low, "For that we can all be grateful."   
"He got tired really fast, though," Nosedive frowned a little. "Why?"   
"Cammy's tired, 'Dive," Tanya stated. "And he hasn't slept this peacefully in a long time, I'm betting. The sleep will do him a world of good right now."   
"I guess..." Nosedive started to stroke Camden's hair. "He will get better, though, right?"   
Tanya smiled, "As long as we keep him happy and take care of him, he has all the chance to recover."   
Her face suddenly darkened a little and she sighed, "However, he'll probably start having nightmares after he's caught up on sleep."   
"Really?" Nosedive's eyes softened and he smiled weakly. "Then we'll just have to help him through them, like Wildwing was there for me. That's why we sleep in the same room..."   
Tanya nodded in understand and the two sat in silence, watching the sleeping duckling. Both were lost in their own thoughts, worrying about the future and what it held. Finally, Nosedive spoke up.   
"Phil's going to freak when he finds out there's a duckling here," he chuckled.   
"Oh, stars! We _can_'t let Phil get to Cammy!" she exclaimed, standing up in a rush. "The way he moves, the way he talks, the way he looks, and what he'll want Camden to do... He'll terrify the poor thing!"   
"Oh," Nosedive's eyes widened, "..._shit._"   
"I have to go tell the others!" Tanya looked to Nosedive. "Stay here with Cammy--he shouldn't wake up again for a couple more hours, but I'm not taking any chances."   
"No problem," he smiled weakly. "I'll be okay with him for a while."   
"Thank you," Tanya nodded to him and swiftly left the room.   
Nosedive glanced down to the sleeping boy again and sighed. Good thing that Camden was heavy sleeper.   


Wildwing, Duke, Mallory, and Grin all sat in the recreation room, each doing their own thing. Duke and Mallory were both reading their favorite magazines. Wildwing was reading a book. Grin was meditating. Silence reigned.   
A fraught Tanya ran into the room, disturbing everyone with the noise her footsteps made. She blushed in embarrassment when they all looked up to her and she looked away. Wildwing regarded her in confusion, the Mask still absent from his face. Then, the worry kicked in.   
"What's wrong?" Wildwing feared the worse. "D-Did something happen to the boy? Is he okay?"   
Tanya shook her head quickly, replying with only one word, "Phil!"   
The others' eyes went wide as they came to understand her fear. Of course, she had good reason to be afraid! The media was probably spreading rumors like crazy now about Camden. Phil was bound to hear one some time soon and then...   
"Boobies!" Phil came down the elevator, running over to them. "Where is he? Why didn't you tell me about him??"   
"Uh..." Wildwing's mind went blank.   
"Phil, think about it!" Mallory glared at the human.   
"I am--about how much money he could make! He's worth a fortune!" Phil stated happily. "We could sell you off as a family!"   
Mallory frowned in disgust, "Why I should-"   
Wildwing, having regained his composure, put up a hand to silence Mallory's coming tirade, "No, Phil."   
"But think of the money!" Phil whined.   
"And think of the money you'll be spending in _hospital bills_ if you get anywhere near him!" Duke, tired of the man already, pulled out his sabre and pointed it at their manager. "Think about **_that._**"   
"H-Hey!" Phil protested, staring down at the blade barely touching his neck. "I-It's not l..like I'm going to molest h-him or a-anything!"   
"It's already too late to prevent that," Wildwing replied coldly, before glancing to Duke. "He gets the idea."   
"But Wildwing-"   
"-Put it away," Wildwing ordered and Duke reluctantly replaced the sabre.   
"You're not serious," Phil had gone a shade of pale. "He w-was really...?"   
All five of them nodded, but only Tanya spoke up, "Among other things."   
Phil gulped, then smiled slyly, "Okay, h-how about this...? I'll leave him alone if you let me sell information to the media-"   
Duke had heard enough and charged at Phil, shoving the surprised human against the way. Phil cried out and tried to push Duke off, but Duke refused to relent, too angry. The mallard grabbed Phil's shirt, balling his hands into fists, his cybernetic and organic eyes both narrowing dangerously.   
"Duke!" Wildwing shouted in warning, but Duke ignored him.   
"I ought ta kill ya for that!" Duke growled. "Mess wit' him in any way an' ya could destroy 'im!"   
"He's been through enough," Tanya added, barely able to contain her own anger. "And he doesn't need you adding to it!"   
"Ease off, Duke," Wildwing pried him away from Phil. "He hasn't done anything... Yet."   
"That's right!" Phil stated happily, quickly agreeing with Wildwing.   
Duke opened his mouth to protest but Wildwing cut him short, turning his glare to Phil, "But if he does..."   
"Me and Duke will be first in line!" Mallory state, showing Phil her fist.   
Phil gulped, "T-This isn't for show, i-is it...?"   
"No, it isn't," Wildwing replied. "It never was."   
"I thought you guys were trying to make i-it up!" Phil sighed, rubbing the back of his head. "You lie to me all the time to get out of publicity stunts. How was I suppose to know this time it was for r-real??"   
The Ducks looked stunned, then outraged. Mallory started forward, but Wildwing grabbed her arm before she could decapitate the man. Wildwing sighed, wondering why he was doomed to babysit his teammates, and glanced to Phil again.   
"Why would we lie about such a thing like this..?" he asked softly and Phil shrugged.   
"Well, if you were desperate enough..." Phil shook his head. "Okay, forget the publicity stunts. I won't tell the media anything, but can I at least see him?"   
Tanya shook her head, "Cammy would be terrified of you if he woke up."   
"Cammy?" Grin spoke for the first time.   
"Camden Glosshart," Tanya stated, turning to Grin.   
"Glosshart?" Mallory blinked. "He's Commander Glosshart's son?"   
Tanya nodded and Duke frowned darkly, "You mean he's the son of that jerk who sent you on the suicide mission?"   
The scientist looked nervous as all eyes suddenly turned to her.   
"What suicide mission?" Mallory asked, curious.   
"I-It's not important!" Tanya blushed quickly. "D-Duke just saved me and brought me to Canard, having me transferred over to another Resistance Cell, that's all.. Commander Glosshart wanted me to get captured and killed.."   
"Which is why I've developed a grudge for that guy, even after the main Resistance Cell--his--fell to the Saurians," Duke added.   
"Because of Lucretia Decoy," Wildwing stated, shaking his head. "Wasn't there a lot of young children there?"   
"E-Entire families," Tanya whispered, her voice breaking. "I-I guess no one m..made it out. Camden's p-probably one of the o-only children t..that's s-survived captivity. To t-think that t-there a..are still S-Saurian's fighting..!"   
Duke placed a hand on her shoulder, "Maybe we can ask the kid about the state of affairs on Puckworld after he's gotten better. Maybe it isn't as hopeless as it sounds."   
Tanya nodded silently, then quickly blurted out, "Don't h-hate Cammy for what h-his father did to me! H-He's a sweet boy and n-never would have done s-such a thing!"   
In truth, she had forgotten about what Commander Glosshart had ordered her to do when Camden said his name. She had been too worried about the child to even remotely think of anything else...   
"I wouldn't even dare think of it," Duke stated, smiling sadly. "How is he, anyways?"   
"His digestive system seems to be working fine--he handled the food just fine and I was able to rebandage his wounds and give him some more painkillers." her eyes then lit up, all her embarrassment forgotten. "Ohh, then he played the toy piano for a while before Nosedive walked in and started playing too.. Cammy listened to us talk for a while when we started to tease each other, but he quickly grew tired and went to sleep again."   
"He was playing?" Wildwing smiled.   
"Yes... He really seems to like the music!" Tanya stated, smiling wider. "We got him to giggle and smile... Oh, he's simply precious!"   
"A little infatuated wit' the kid, are we, sweetheart?" Duke laughed and Tanya smacked his arm, causing him to grin more.   
"He trusted the two of us so fast because I looked like his mother and Nosedive like his brother--same feather and hair colors... I do remember seeing them around and what they looked like... I just never saw Cammy before." Tanya stated, mock-glaring at the chuckling Duke. "That and we didn't hurt him. Nosedive's with him now."   
"Then why would I scare him? I'm the least threatening person you can think of!" Phil stated.   
"Because you're big," Tanya stated simply, grinning.   
Phil blushed and the others Puckworlders cracked up as Tanya explained, "I've determined the Male Saurian had your ...er... _width._"   
"Hhmph!" Phil crossed his arms as the others laughed harder. "I don't have to take this, you know!"   
"I'm sorry, Phil," Tanya tried hard not to laugh herself, "but you asked..."   
"It's still not funny!" Phil replied, glaring at the Mighty Ducks gathered in the room. "Next time, just lie."   
"Sure thing..." Tanya chuckled.   
"At any rate, we should probably start working on the press release," Wildwing stated, still snickering.   
"Sure thing," Phil sighed, leading them toward his office.   
The worried air that surrounded the Pond disappeared, replaced by a happy triumph. Camden Glosshart still had a will to live. And where there's a will, there's a way.   


*End of Chapter Five*   


*End of Casualty of War*   


Author's End-note: Ahhhh! I can't seriously be done, can I?? That's scary.. At any rate, there *will* be a sequel.. I just ended it here because it skips a week or so from what I'm planning... And it felt kind of awkward to skip a week after the fanfic has only centered on a few days. Then again, then fanfic demanded to be ended now, so as not to anger it.. *Grins* Thanks to everyone for their continued support! 


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